Agent: 'Ivan Rakitic not leaving Barcelona'

The agent of Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has insisted that his client will not be leaving Camp Nou at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Rakitic was linked with a move away from Barcelona last summer off the back of playing a key role in Croatia's progression to the final of the 2018 World Cup.

The 30-year-old is believed to want an improvement on his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2021.

However, despite reports of interest from the likes of Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, Rakitic's agent Arturo Canales has said that it is "impossible" for his client to leave Barcelona ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.

"Ivan wants to leave Spain in the summer? That's impossible," Canales told Sport.

Barcelona sporting director Pep Segura confirmed in October that the Spanish champions had received an offer from "a foreign club" for Rakitic last summer.

The Croatian has scored four times and contributed six assists in 32 appearances for the Catalan giants this season.