After losing Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in the January transfer window, Liverpool are set to raid the Catalan side for one of their star players in Ivan Rakitic. A report from Diario Gol claims that we would be facing a lot of competition from Arsenal for the signing of the 29-year-old Croatian.

Rakitic has been one of the most consistent players for Barcelona ever since he joined them from Sevilla and he is versatile too. The 29-year-old can play in a number of positions which includes central midfield and the right wing. So he would be useful to any side he might join.

The Croatian would be turning 30 later this year and that could be one reason why Barcelona are looking to cash in on the player, as he still has some value.

Rakitic was linked with a swap deal involving Coutinho in the summer but that did not see the day of light. However, the Croatian could be one of a number of stars who could be sold by the La Liga giants as they have to cut down their wage bill to incorporate Coutinho into their side.

Jurgen Klopp would be looking to reinforce our side by spending some of the Coutinho money but is Rakitic the right man for us?

A Quality Player But Age Is Not On His Side

If Rakitic was a couple of years younger, he would have been a great asset to this Liverpool side with his passing ability. The Croatian is not getting any younger and if Lucas Leiva was deemed to be a little slow for this league, Rakitic would be found out in an instant.

It is interesting to read that Arsenal are also interested in the player and there is no doubt that the former Sevilla man will be one of the players to leave the Camp Nou in the summer. Klopp has to find someone who would do the Coutinho job or even someone who can provide us with some creativity in the heart of midfield but it seems unlikely that Rakitic would be that man.

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