Paris Saint-Germain Reportedly Set to Offer €90M for Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly prepared to spend €90 million (£80.9 million) to land Ivan Rakitic and have made contact with Barcelona over a possible transfer. 

According to Sport's Lluis Miguelsanz, PSG are set to "back up their interest with a firm bid" for the Croatia international, though they are not willing to meet his €120 million (£107.8 million) buyout clause.

Rakitic would reportedly prefer to stay at the Camp Nou rather than leave, but Barca cannot afford to improve the deal he signed last year, and the Parisians are hoping to lure him by doubling his wages.

The midfielder is a key player at Barcelona and appears set to play an even more important role this season now that Andres Iniesta has departed.

The 30-year-old does most of his work in the Blaugrana's engine room alongside Sergio Busquets, but he's also an influential presence on the ball:

Grup 14's Rafael Hernandez was pleased with his showing as Barca beat Alaves 3-0 on Saturday and felt Rakitic enjoyed a freer role than usual:

He could similarly excel for PSG, particularly as he also tends to contribute more goals and assists when he's not restricted to a more defensive role.

The reported fee would be a lot of money for someone of his age, so in that sense, it might not be bad business for Barcelona to let him go.

Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren doubts Les Parisiens can afford such a deal while remaining in line with UEFA's financial fair play regulations, though:

Even if PSG can conjure the cash required, selling him would force Barca to scramble for a replacement before the Spanish transfer window closes on August 31.

That would be made even harder, as players from the Premier League and Serie A—where the transfer window has already closed—will likely be unavailable, which would somewhat restrict their options.

Failing to replace him would leave them in a difficult position, so letting him go at this stage could be a significant gamble.