Barcelona willing to sell 2 Inter targets, Tottenham set to table club-record bid to secure Paulo Dybala, and more, 28 July 2019
Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As usual, there are many exciting stories from the rumour mill to read. So, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian top flight.
Barcelona want to offload 2 Inter Milan targets
The Catalans have a fairly stacked midfield following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax. The Dutch starlet joined the La Liga champions in a massive €75 million deal. He had an impressive spell with Ajax last season, amassing 31 appearances. De Jong also played a key role in Ajax's magical Champions League run.
However, Barcelona now have a very tight competition in their midfield. Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo, Sergio Busquets and De Jong will all have to battle for starting spots next season. On the other hand, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha Alcantara and Philippe Coutinho could all play as central midfielders.
Thus Barcelona would need to free up some space. According to a report from Spain, Barcelona are willing to sell either Rakitic or Vidal. Vidal struggled to earn playing time since he joined the Catalans. Nevertheless, the Chilean had some excellent moments with Barcelona.
The 32-year-old made 33 appearances and was directly involved in impressive 10 goals in La Liga. His performance against Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal also received praises. The report also states that Inter Milan are interested in the former Bayern Munich star.
The Italian club have confirmed that Radja Nainggolan is not part of their plans. They reportedly want Vidal to replace the Belgian. Rakitic, on the other hand, remained a Barcelona regular last season, appearing 29 times as a starter. The World Cup finalist also refuses to leave Barcelona, despite the club wanting to cash in on him.
Rakitic's contract talks have stalled so far, and AS claims that Inter Milan have expressed their interest in the Croatian. The Serie A club have been linked with Rakitic for some time, but the player's desire to remain at Barcelona has made things complicated.