Tottenham have already strengthened their midfield with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton, but Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sport Witness) say Jose Mourinho is interested in Ivan Rakitic stoo.
The 32-year-old is out of favour at Barcelona and has one year remaining on his deal, so he looks set for a move this summer. We should avoid signing Rakitic, however, as he wouldn’t present value for money.
What went wrong for Rakitic at Barcelona?
The Croatian international has gone on to make 310 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona since joining them from Sevilla in 2014, scoring 35 goals with 42 assists. Rakitic made 42 appearances in all competitions last season, but Mundo Deportivo say new manager Ronald Koeman doesn’t want the midfielder.
He must feel Miralem Pjanić, Frenkie De Jong, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal are enough for next season. Barca were said to have shown interest in Matteo Guendouzi and Gini Wijnaldum too, so Rakitic’s position may be under threat if he stays.
The 32-year-old could leave on a free transfer in 2021, so it’s likely that Barca will cash in while he still has value. Mundo Deportivo add that Rakitic has a €10m asking price this summer and would prefer a return to Sevilla over joining any other club, so we may be barking up the wrong tree.
Why shouldn’t Tottenham sign him?
With Hojbjerg joining Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Gedson Fernandes this summer, we’re no longer short of options in midfield. Rakitic is a good player who would improve our squad, but he’d be an addition to a position we’re overstocked in.
And while €10m isn’t a lot of money to spend on a player, even with our dwindling finances, Rakitic’s £217k-per-week/£11.3m-a-year wages are. He’d be the highest-earner at Tottenham, taking home more than Harry Kane (£200k-per-week), so we’d end up spending more on his salary than his transfer fee.
Summary
Rakitic is a talented player who would improve our midfield next season, but he won’t come cheap and is in the eve of his playing career. The 32-year-old would be a short-term signing, so there isn’t much point spending so much to lure him to North London.
In other news, who is the £18m Chilean international Tottenham could sign to replace Jan Vertonghen?