Barcelona attacking midfielder Ivan Rakitic says he is pleased that record signing Philippe Coutinho has signed for the Catalan club.
A report by Diario Gol had suggested that the Croatian international may consider leaving the Camp Nou if the Brazilian takes his place in the side, with both Arsenal and Liverpool monitoring his situation closely.
Asked about Coutinho’s arrival at Barca, Rakitic was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:
“Every great player is welcome here. He is one of the family now, we are going to enjoy him a lot, he’s now at the biggest club in the world.”
The 29 year old’s comments don’t necessarily contradict Diario Gol‘s story, no matter how speculative the report actually is. The Spanish website suggested that the Croatian would wait and see where he figures in Barcelona’s plans now Coutinho has made his £142m move.
If the former Liverpool midfielder replaces him in the team, reducing his game time, Rakitic could still decide to leave in the summer in search for more regular first team football. Whether that proves to be the case, we will have to wait and see.
