IVAN RAKITIC is set to reject interest from Manchester City to stay at Barcelona.
The Croatian midfielder has been on the fringes of Luis Enrique’s first team this season and was targeted by Pep Guardiola to replace the injured Ilkay Gundogan.
But he said: “I’m looking forward to sitting down with people at the club because I want to renew and stay here for many years.”
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Despite not playing regularly, Rakitic said earlier in the week that he would jump off a bridge if Luis Enrique asked him to.
And he said of his manager yesterday: “My confidence in the boss and the people at the club is like always, nothing has changed.
“The boss knows that I am not happy when I’m not on the pitch [because] he’s the one who knows me best.”
The one crumb of comfort for Man City is that Rakitic remains unsure as to whether Barcelona will offer him a new deal.
But he said the only way to convince Barcelona board is to “work very hard to get to the top and educate the boss.”
He added: “Then he [Luis Enrique] has to decide.”
Earlier in January, Man United were believed to be the frontrunners for Rakitic but the injury to Ilkay Gundogan means City are now more determined to agree a deal.
Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez have increased competition for Rakitic's midfield spot this season but the Croatian did start last night's 1-0 Copa del Rey win over Real Sociedad.
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