Chelsea have been handed a blow by comments from Ivan Rakitic as he confirmed his desire to stay with Barcelona, as quoted by TalkSport.
The Croatian international helped his nation advance to the World Cup final in the summer and caught the eye in the Champions League clash with Tottenham on Wednesday, scoring a stunning strike in a 4-2 victory.
30-year-old Rakitic was widely linked with a Premier League move during the summer following a delay in a contract negotiation with the LaLiga champions but he has dismissed the motion of leaving Catalonia.
Speaking to reporters after the victory over Spurs at Wembley, he said:
“Yes I have stayed because I feel the people, I feel the football. The best thing for me to do is to defend this team and to play with them. The president knows me very well. He knows that I am not expecting anything from him.
“If he calls me it is fine. If he doesn’t call me, it is fine too. He knows I am very happy going to training every day. I just want to win many titles with Barca.”
