Croatia international Ivan Rakitic has indicated that he has no plans of parting ways with Barcelona during this summer’s transfer window. The midfielder has been heavily tipped to make a move to Inter Milan ahead of next season but the 31-year-old has stressed that he is committed to the cause at the Catalan giants.

In an interview with Sky Sport, Rakitic said that he wants to stay put with the Catalan giants for the long-term and he would prefer another new deal to extend his contract beyond the summer of 2021, he said: “I want nothing but Barcelona. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I hope the club, the president, the coach and the fans see it like me and I hope the time comes when they will tell me that I will stay here for another three years. I wish I could say that I already have another three years of contract and that I will stay here, but in football anything can happen.”

Rakitic’s future has come under question following the club’s recruitment of Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong, who is expected to join the club in the summer. In recent interviews, the Dutchman has indicated that the assurance of a regular role contributed towards making the move to the Camp Nou and that could have a great effect on the gametime of Rakitic.

As such, it will be interesting to see whether Rakitic would prefer remaining with the Catalan giants next season, knowing that his playing time could be curtailed. Barcelona recently retained the league title for the second season running with a slender 1-0 triumph over Levante. They are now scheduled to face Liverpool in the home leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night. The game promises to be an entertainer with the Blaugrana coming against Europe’s best defence.