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Ernesto Valverde Unsure on Neymar Pursuit, Ivan Rakitic's Barcelona Future
August 10, 2019
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde is unsure whether the club will bring back Neymar this summer and does not know whether Ivan Rakitic will stay.
Neymar has been linked with a return to Barca throughout the offseason, as well as with a move to Real Madrid, and Valverde discussed him ahead of his side's friendly with Napoli on Saturday:
Per Goal's Dejan Kalinic, he said:
"We'll see what happens. The classic response is that he plays for another team and that's that.
"All I know is that I'm the manager and I only think about the players I have. They are the ones I'll be using tomorrow.
"As it stands, I don't know what is going to happen."
Neymar spent four years with Barcelona prior to joining PSG in 2017, and during that time he made 186 appearances, scoring 105 goals and assisting 76.
Barca have already signed Antoine Griezmann this summer, but with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez now 32, Neymar's arrival would make them more well-equipped to cope with the pair's natural declines as they enter the twilight of their careers.
Griezmann's arrival makes affording Neymar even more difficult, though, so the club might have to offload one or two high-profile players to make room.
One such player could be Rakitic, and Valverde does not know what will happen, per Kalinic: "He is very important for us. His work is there. Right now, I don't know if he will stay. I count on him as I have. In principle, nothing makes me think that I won't be able to count on him."
The midfielder netted a winner for Barca against Napoli when they played one another on Thursday:
Football journalist Ben Hayward singled him out for praise:
Rakitic arrived at the Camp Nou having notched a combined 27 goals and 32 assists in his final two seasons at Sevilla, but he has shown himself to be an exceptional all-rounder at Barcelona, having taken on a more defensive role.
He is 31, though, and Barca also have Sergio Busquets, Arthur, Rafinha, Arturo Vidal, Frenkie de Jong and Riqui Puig among their midfield options for the upcoming season.
As such, they can afford to part with him if it will enable them to further strengthen their squad with Neymar.