Barca eye Saul as Rakitić replacement

Barcelona are preparing to launch a campaign to make Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid their player, according to AS.

The Catalan club have already completed the signing of Frenkie de Jong who will join them from Ajax this summer, they are still keen on Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot, and the Spanish outlet claim that the message coming out of Camp Nou is clear: they want Saul Niguez as well to strengthen their midfield further as they prepare a €110 million bid.

The future of 32-year-old Ivan Rakitić remains in the air. He was promised an improved contract amid the interest of PSG last summer, but as time wears on, it’s becoming very unlikely that he will get one. The best he can hope at the moment, or so it seems, is an extension of the current deal. That, coupled with the addition of a number of younger midfielders of high quality which is almost certain to cause a decrease of his playing time, is making the Croatia international rethink his options with a number of clubs keen on his services.