Atletico Madrid is not in the race to take over the services of Ivan Rakitic, although some have wanted the transfer to happen.
Recently, there are reports claiming Atletico would be willing to pay 40 million euros for Rakitic in the winter market.
However, it is understood that Atletico have reached the salary cap set by La Liga, so it is impossible for them to take over Rakitic's big contract. Due to the same reason, they cannot even sign a replacement of Diego Costa in the near future, which should have been a priority compared to the midfield.
Even if Atletico could sell players to make room for Rakitic financially, they are not likely to do so, as they already have enough options in the midfield, namely Thomas, Herrera, Koke, Saúl and Llorente.