Real Madrid Pondered Over Ivan Rakitic Transfer
REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Real Madrid made an attempt to lure Ivan Rakitic away from Barcelona this summer, according to reports.
Alvaro Morata was the only signing made by Zidane over the summer, although the fans were expecting the club to sign a few more big names.
Paul Pogba was believed to be on Zidane’s radar after Juventus made the Frenchman available. However, Real were beaten by Manchester United, who paid a record £89 million for the 23-year-old.
After missing out on Paul Pogba, Real Madrid were linked with many of Pogba’s international teammates, including N’Golo Kante and Moussa Sissoko. However, no deal fell through.
Real Madrid were also close to signing Andre Gomes, before Barcelona swept in at the last minute to steal the deal from right under Real Madrid’s noses.
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And now, the Mundo Deportivo have reported that the reigning European Champions failed to sign yet another transfer target in the 2016 summer window: Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic.
Zidane was clearly looking for a creative player over the summer, with James Rodriguez and Isco already under-performing.
The news source reports that Real Madrid saw Rakitic as a cheaper alternative compared to Paul Pogba. However, due to the fierce rivalry shared between the clubs, a transfer was much harder to pull off.
A Real Madrid official reportedly contacted Rakitic to ask if he was interested in making the switch, but the player refused and opted to stay in Barcelona.
This wasn’t the first time Real Madrid contacted the Croatian over a transfer. Back in 2014, while Rakitic was playing for Sevilla, he was offered the chance to play for the Los Blancos, but he also turned down that offer in favor of a move to Barcelona.
Real Madrid were confident that a deal could fall through due to the arrival of Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez at the Catalan club, but that did not seem to be the case.
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