5 players who were set for a January exit but couldn't secure a move during the window
The January transfer window is now behind us and though the transfer window was active for a whole month, for most of the clubs and players, it feels as if it came and went in a blink of an eye.
Like every year, there was a lot of activity in the market but not everyone was able to secure their desired move and was left frustrated at their clubs, staying put just on the hope of finally getting their transfer approved in the summer.
So, with that being said, here we take a look at the top five players, who failed to move to a new club despite being heavily linked with a host of clubs last month.
#5 Ivan Rakitic
Just until last year, Ivan Rakitic was one of the first names in the starting XI for Barcelona, but this season things have taken a turn for the worse for the 31-year-old.
Rakitic had signed a contract extension until 2021 in March 2017, when he was an indispensable player to the squad and on top of his game, but three years on and it seems he is no longer the irreplaceable player he used to be, with the Catalans acquiring lot of reinforcements in the midfield over the seasons.
In Frenkie de Jong, Arthur and also Arturo Vidal there for the manager to consider, the Croatian has been used intermittently.
Even before the transfer window was active, lot of sources reported that Rakitic's time at the Camp Nou was over and that a January move was imminent, with Manchester United and Juventus reportedly interested.
It is understood that Barcelona were willing to offload the player this month and even included him in a swap deal for Juventus striker Federico Bernardeschi, but nothing worked out in the end.
He recently spoke out on his displeasure at his situation at Blaugrana after being frozen out of the squad for the past six months. He said:
"There have been several things that I did not like. I say it very clearly."
"In the end the best thing for the club has to be what is good. We must accept not to understand some things."
As things stand, it has been reported that fellow La Liga side Atletico Madrid are already negotiating with Ivan Rakitic about a possible move at the end of the season.
