Barcelona star denied a new contract

Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic will not be a happy man as Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has responded in a negative way to Rakitic's request for a new deal after turning down a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

Earlier, Rakitic said he was waiting for a call from Bartomeu with regards to an improved contract after showing his commitment to the club.

In an exclusive chat with Onda Cero, Bartomeu responded to Rakitic by saying that it will not be possible to satisfy the Croatian demands this year. However, he also promised that his demands could be considered next season depending on the revenue the club generates in the next 12 months.

'This season we will not be able to make the gesture that Rakitic is asking of us. Next season we can look at it in relation to new revenue,' he said.

Rakitic was in touch with the French giants over a possible move as the Ligue 1 champions were willing to meet his demands. However, the midfielder, who was a part of the Croatian side that reached the final of the 2018 World Cup, decided to stay loyal and commit his future to his current club and had asked for an improved contract.

Now with Bartomeu denying him a new contract this season, Rakitic could be disappointed, especially after hearing the reports of other first-team regulars having their contracts prioritised over his own. It should be noted that Barcelona are in talks with left-back Jordi Alba and midfielder Sergio Busquets over renewing their deals at the Camp Nou.

Rakitic, who was linked with both Real Madrid and Barcelona before he joined Camp Nou from Sevilla way back in 2014 for £17m, has been an instrumental player for Barcelona as he has won a Champions League title and three La Liga titles with the Catalan giants so far.