Chelsea preparing move for Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic (Sport)

Chelsea are preparing a summer move for Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic as they look to finally fill the void left by Cesc Fabregas, according to Sport. 

Maurizio Sarri has made little secret of his desire to bring in a new midfielder to provide cover and competition for Jorginho, describing the Italian as being ‘in trouble’ against Newcastle recently. However, the club were unsuccessful in their attempts to sign both Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella and Zenit midfielder Leandro Paredes, with the latter expected to join PSG.

And now it appears Sarri will have to do without the midfielder he craves until the summer, when Catalan newspaper Sport report that Chelsea will try to tempt Rakitic to London. The Croatian is expected to fall down the pecking order when Frenkie de Jong arrives from Ajax and would be happy to get him off the wage bill if a suitable offer arrives.

However, in a blow to Chelsea’s hopes, the 30-year-old says he is prepared to fight for his place at Camp Nou. ‘If I am here [at Barcelona], it’s to play,’ said Rakitic at the Mundo Deportivo gala on Monday night. ‘If anything has to change, we will speak. I have a lot of confidence. I know what I can give. I know who I am.

‘I want to be here and, if I can renew, to be here for even more years. I am really happy here, everyone knows it, above all the ‘Presi’ [president]. I have nothing else to say.’ Asked directly if De Jong’s arrival could force him out, Rakitic added: ‘That’s a good question for the ‘Mister’ [manager] or the ‘Presi.’ I am 30 and I am in the best moment of my career. I want to enjoy football and enjoy Barca.’

Barça expect offers for Rakitic this summer. Not as high as the PSG bid last summer, but big enough to be taken seriously. It seems the French club will not come back, but the Premier League is an option.

As well as Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal also have Rakitic on the table for June. They want to know the availability of both Barça and the player to talk about a deal.

Barça appreciated the player's effort but told him there would be no wage rise. It's not been too long since he renewed and the club are managing a spiraling wage bill. At the moment, they're not thinking about a new deal despite his form. Rakitic is 31 in March and his contract's up in 2021, so a June exit wouldn't be that strange.

All parties are aware of how the market works, but nothing will be spoken about until the season ends. Now, it's all about winning titles. Barça are being informed of all movements, though, and know there will be juicy departure options for the midfielder.

There's homework to be done for Barça. And one of them is to bring in money. For the moment, they have the guaranteed sale of Paco Alcacer and there's a good chance some cash comes in for Andre Gomes, too, who's doing well at Everton. From there, the club will listen to offers for various players and Rakitic could be one of them. It will also have to be seen how Valverde reacts if he does continue in charge next season.

Chelsea are re-constructing their side and see Rakitic as a leader. First, they would have to convince the player; then they'd have to table an acceptable offer. What's clear is they have money to invest.