Exclusive: Ivan Rakitic has been offered his new contract by Barcelona

FC Barcelona and Ivan Rakitic are close to agreeing a new deal for the player which will extend his contract until June 30, 2022. The deal has been on the table for a few weeks.

After a period of evaluation by the player and his people they will have to decide if they will accept Barcelona's offer, which as is logical will improve his salary, both in terms of fixed pay and also in variables. The key is in whether the deal satisifies his demands - and in these type of renewals Rakitic's financial assesors have a lot of say because they have to see if there is any risk for their client.

Rakitic's current contract expires on June 30, 2019, inside two seasons, so his renewal is a matter of urgency from the club. Curiously the renewal comes at Rakitic's worst spell of form at the club, although the technical team still have faith in him and believe it's a temporary downspell.