Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic linked with SHOCK move to Manchester United

Manchester United are allegedly planning a £48m raid for Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic

Manchester United are in talks to sign £48m Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic - and Barcelona are keen to sell as they look to raise funds to sign Matthijs de Ligt and Antoine Griezmann .

Barcelona are souping up their squad this summer, having already signed Frenkie de Jong from Ajax for £67million.

They are keen to add his pal, £65million Ajax defender de Ligt, as well as Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann, whose release clause drops to £105million on July 1.

But to splash out that kind of outlay, the Catalan giants must raise funds by selling players - and Rakitic is ripe for sale.

Rakitic has been integral to Barcelona's success in the five years he has been at Camp Nou - during which time they have won four La Liga titles.

In those five years he has played more than 50 games each season, missing just nine matches through illness or injury during that time.

Despite his peak physical condition, at the age of 31 his transfer value is only going to go down, so it's the right time for Barcelona to sell.

And with his vast experience and all-round midfield abilities, Croatia international Rakitic would be perfect for United, who desperately need to overhaul their squad for next season. United have lost Andre Herrera from their midfield and could also lose Paul Pogba to Madrid.

Despite this, it will take some convincing for Rakitic to leave Barcelona - or indeed for his manager Ernesto Valverde to sanction the sale of a player he rates highly.

But talks are already in progress over a move - although Barcelona will want £55million, according to respected journalist Duncan Castles in the Daily Record .

Earlier this month, Rakitic was furious over reports linking him with a move to Inter Milan.

He insisted he has no intention of leaving Camp Nou this summer, and took aim at one Spanish newspaper over their declaration that his brother, Dejan, had refused to rule out a summer move to San Siro.