Croatia superstar Ivan Rakitic was convinced to reject Paris Saint-Germain’s strong summer overtures thanks to a pact with head coach Ernesto Valverde that he would be a constant in his Barcelona side, according to reports.

Rakitic, 30, was subject to an enormous late August bid of €90 million by the Ligue 1 champions. This followed four stellar seasons in Catalonia.

SPORT have stated that Valverde made sure his key midfielder would remain with a promise that he would always start when fit. In 2018/19, Rakitic has been in the Barca XI 11 times in the top flight.

This approach, however, has potentially had one drawback – the hamstring injury picked up last week on international duty.