Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has sparked speculation regarding his future after suggesting he would like to play alongside Cristiano Ronald at Juventus. The Croatian has been in-and-out of the starting lineup for the Blaugrana this term and his situation has not improved despite the recent change in the head coach.

As a result, he has been fancied to leave the Camp Nou in the quest for regular gametime and a move to Turin could be a possibility in the summer. In an interview with Bleacher Report, the 2018 World Cup finalist said that Miralem Pjanic is the most underrated player in the world and added that he would like to play alongside Ronaldo.

He told: “For me one of the most underrated players in the world is Miralem Pjanic. Jose Mourinho for example put my name forward. However for me Pjanic is also up there. Messi is the best of all time and it is fantastic to play alongside him. Obviously I would like to play with Ronaldo, he is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. You really enjoy watching him, and everyone can see what he is doing at Juve.”

Rakitic’s current deal with the Catalan giants expires at the end of next season and it appears unlikely that the club will seek to renew his contract. Juventus have been fancied to land his signature in the past and it remains to be seen whether they would renew the long-term interest when the transfer window reopens in four months’ time.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have endured a mixed campaign by their standards in La Liga and they recently suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the El Clasico. With the loss, they have dropped one point behind Real Madrid for the top spot but will definitely have the chance to reclaim the position with 12 more games left in the league campaign.