Transfer news and rumours of the day: January 11, 2016

#2 La Liga

rakitic — Rakitic to get a new deal from Barcelona

- Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has squashed all the rumours linking him with a move out of the Santiago Bernabeu. The Welshman was said to be unhappy about the sacking of Rafael Benitez.

"I don't feel I need to make a statement to anyone. I know what I'm capable of and I just want to keep enjoying my football and when I do that I play my best. I'm happy at the moment. Obviously you can never predict what happens in the future, but I'm enjoying my football at the moment so I'll keep going."

- Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez is the subject of a £15m bid from Manchester United, Sportsmole reports.

The 21-year-old was also believed to be a target for Arsenal, however, it looks like that the Red Devils are leading the race for his signature.

- Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has started contract negotiations with the club. The Croatian midfielder has a contract with the Catalan club which runs till 2019, and his performances since joining the club mean he will be offered a more lucrative deal.

"I have a contract until 2019, but we already started negotiating about renewal," Rakitic said.

About the author

Sankalp is a veteran European and international football writer at Sportskeeda. He has a total experience of 8 years, having previously worked for some top companies such as Wisden India and Fox Sports Asia. An engineer by qualification, Sankalp places a very high emphasis on accuracy by leaving no stone unturned in his research, and prides himself on showcasing the human aspect of the sporting world.

Sankalp has had the privilege of interviewing senior Indian cricketers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Chris Woakes in his experience so far. He has also covered various Indian and international matches, such as the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup when working for FOX.

Sankalp started following football after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup with his family. He is a die-hard Manchester United supporter, who started following the club due to David Beckham. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and favorite player is Lionel Messi, both for setting unattainable benchmarks. He considers Barcelona’s incredible 6-1 second leg comeback win in the 2016-17 UCL against Paris Saint-Germain as one of the most iconic matches ever.

Along with European football, Sankalp also follows the Indian Super League. When not writing, Sankalp enjoys traveling and watching sports.

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Edited by Staff Editor