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What's the story?
Manchester United are looking to strengthen their midfield in this summer's transfer window after a rather disappointing season. They have reportedly turned their attention to Barcelona star and World-Cup finalist Ivan Rakitic to put fill the void created that will be created by Ander Herrera's imminent departure.
In case you didn't know...
Manchester United endured a turbulent season under Jose Mourinho during the four months he was in charge, before his eventual sacking in December. Former club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was named as interim manager, and won 14 of the 19 games he was in charge of, before being appointed as the permanent man in-charge.
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Although the Norwegian enjoyed a flying start to his tenure, which included masterminding a memorable comeback again PSG in the Champions League Round of 16, things started to go south towards the end of the season.
A sixth place Premier League and absence of silverware is not good enough for a club of United's stature, and thus, the Red Devils are expected to strengthen their squad this summer.
Ander Herrera has already confirmed that he will leaving the Threatre of Dreams when his contract expires this summer. Thus, Solskjaer has the important task of filling his boots in this transfer window.
The heart of the matter
According to respected journalist Duncan Castles, the Red Devils have turned to Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic to solve their midfield troubles, are are currently locked in negotiations with the Catalan club.
The Blaugrana have allegedly slapped a £48 million (€55 million) price tag on the 31-year-old Croatian, with the Red Devils currently prepared to shell out £30 million to secure his services.
With the impending arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax to bolster the Barcelona midfield, Rakitic may find himself surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou. He would naturally want to play regular football at this stage of his career, and would improve the feeble United midfield drastically with his experience and quality.
What's Next?
Barcelona and Manchester United are currently negotiating, and it will be interesting to see if any other club joins the fray to complicate the transfer of such a top player. Keep your eyes on this one.
What do you think of this move? Are Barcelona asking too much? Let us know in the comments!
