Man Utd, Arsenal midfield target favours €45m Inter move

Jamie Woodhouse

Arsenal and Man Utd appear to have missed out on Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic, with the midfielder set to join Inter Milan in a €45 million deal according to reports.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the Croatian midfielder has said no to the offers from Manchester United and Arsenal in order to join the Serie A giants at the end of the season.

The report goes on to break the deal down, claiming a €35 million bid was rejected by Barcelona, but the 18-times Italian champions will return with an offer of €40 million plus bonuses in order to match Barcelona’s €45 million price-tag.

The player, whose contract at the Nou Camp expires in 2021, has apparently agreed to sign a four-year deal worth € 6.5 million per season.

The 30-year-old has become a key figure of the Catalan giant’s team since joining from fellow La Liga outfit Sevilla in 2014.

He has since gone on to make over 250 appearances for Barcelona.

The news will be a bitter blow for both Arsenal and United, with the Gunners still desperately searching for an Aaron Ramsey replacement, with the Welsh midfielder departing for Juventus in the summer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also keen to add depth to his Red Devils midfield following Marouane Fellaini’s switch to the Chinese Super League earlier this month.

 

Love Arsenal? Get the latest Gunners news direct to your Facebook timeline by liking our our dedicated page.