Ivan Rakitic out of Croatia Squad to Resolve Barcelona Future, Says Zlatko Dalic

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic said on Monday that midfielder Ivan Rakitic is out of his squad because he needs to resolve his future with Barcelona. 

Rakitic has been linked with moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in the summer transfer window, and Dalic said in a press conference Rakitic was not ready to link up with the national team: "I spoke with Rakitic, who has still not resolved his future with his club and at this moment is not ready to play for the national team." 

Croatia confirmed Rakitic has been replaced in the squad by Cagliari's Marko Rog for their 2020 European Championship qualifiers against Slovakia and Azerbaijan:

Rakitic agreed to join PSG as part of a deal that would see Neymar return to the Camp Nou, according to Lluis Mascaro at Sport. However, talks between the two clubs broke down, and the Brazilian will now stay in Paris, per Bryan Swanson at Sky Sports News.

The midfielder has also attracted interest from Serie A champions Juventus. The Italian team wanted to include Rakitic in a swap deal before the close of the transfer window, according to Sport.

Rakitic has been a key player for Barcelona since joining from 2014 and has been a virtual ever-present for the Catalan giants. 

Opta highlighted the number of games he's played for the club:

However, the 30-year-old has not started in any of Barcelona's three La Liga games in 2019-20. He came off the bench at half-time in Barcelona's 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao and did not feature at all against Real Betis or Osasuna.

Manager Ernesto Valverde has explained why he has chosen to bench the midfielder:

The arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax has increased competition for places in the Barcelona midfield, and Valverde's decision to bench Rakitic suggests he is no longer guaranteed a starting spot at the club.

The Croatian may not have time to seal a deal away from the club before the window closes on Monday, but if he remains on the bench throughout the season he could decide to part ways with the club in 2020.