IVAN RAKITIC’S future at Barcelona is in serious doubt — and we can reveal he has been part of a WhatsApp group called ‘Juventus’ for the past five months.
Croatia team-mates Mario Mandzukic and Marko Pjaca, as well as the midfielder’s former Nou Camp team-mate, Dani Alves, are the other members.
A source has told us the trio have been trying to entice the Barcelona star to make the switch since the summer.
Keep up to date with ALL the Barcelona news, gossip and transfers on our club page
Rakitic has been inundated with messages which include how beautiful the Juventus Stadium is and what great solidarity there is within the dressing room.
They also regularly send him selfies immediately after victories.
He told the Juventus stars his desire was to stay in Catalonia, IF Luis Enrique leaves in the summer.
However, the Barca boss found out that Rakitic told the Serie A trio about rifts and problems within the Nou Camp dressing room — and is understandably seething.
Related Stories
He left Rakitic out of the squad which travelled to Villarreal at the weekend despite being fit and available.
Manchester City are among the major European sides interested in his signature.
The group was started when 21-year-old Pjaca joined Juventus from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer.
Rakitic was initially signed as long-term replacement for Xavi in 2014.
And adapted seamlessly to the unique Barcelona philosophy.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and gossip ahead of the January window with SunSport’s daily LIVE blog
The Croat even opened the scoring the Champions League final victory over Juventus en route to the Treble in 2015.
However, the arrival of Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez in the summer has seen him in and out of the team.
Juventus are desperately looking for a new playmaker to replace the influential Andrea Pirlo, who left in 2015.
Leave a comment