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What's the rumour?
Barcelona's hopes of ending this transfer window on an uncomplicated note have taken a hit as according to Sport, Paris Saint-Germain are exploring the option of signing Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets.
However, Barcelona will be unwilling to sell two of their key players and PSG will have to break the bank to get the deals done.
In case you didn't know...
The Paris based club who are the current reigning champions in France have been actively pursuing a central midfielder.
As per the report, PSG were interested in Paul Pogba of Manchester United, Miralem Pjanic of Juventus and N'Golo Kante of Chelsea.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have been trying to extend the contract of their main players in a bid to come out of this transfer window unscathed.
Paris Saint-Germain had landed a heavy blow to Barcelona last summer when they bought Neymar from Barcelona on a record-breaking deal.
The heart of the matter
Marca has reported that Barcelona has agreed on a new deal for Busquets and have extended his contract. As a result, it is highly unlikely that the midfield stalwart will leave the Cules in the next ten days.
Meanwhile, Ivan Rakitic had signed a deal last year that ties him to the club till 2021 and also features a release clause of €125 million.
Rakitic's value has risen further following the World Cup and given how Barcelona have been pulling out all stops to ensure their best players stay at the club.
The only complication that could arise in Rakitic's situation is if he demands wage parity with other top stars given his importance in the team. Therefore, Barcelona are likely to hand the 30-year-old a pay raise.
Rumour rating/probability: 3/10
Selling Rakitic at this point in the transfer window where they're left with very little time to find a replacement would be a bad move for Barcelona and hence, the transfer is unlikely to happen.
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What's next?
Unless Paris Saint-Germain table an offer that La Blaugrana cannot refuse, they are not going to sign either Sergio Busquets or Ivan Rakitic.
