Ivan Rakitic has urged Ernesto Valverde to extend his stay at the Camp Nou after 18 months of domestic domination.

The Barcelona boss had recently revealed talks over a contract extension at the club will be conducted later in the season amid speculation he could leave the club at the end of this campaign.

The Croatian midfielder – who has been a key part of Valverde’s system – wants the former Athletic Club coach to stay at the Catalan club beyond 2020.

“The coach’s future is a question for him and the club, but as players we are all very happy with him,” Rakitic told reporters, as cited by Marca.

“The job he and his coaching staff are doing is really good and I believe he is most likely to stay here and continue (beyond the summer).

“As players we will all work hard and what they decide to do will be their decision, but they will come to the conclusion which is best.

“We had to work hard for this win at Getafe because this is a very complicated league, every team is difficult and there are many challenges to come.

“This is one of the most difficult games of the season, they are very compact and it was a real battle.”