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Our View: Guillem Balague update might interest Tottenham fans

Barcelona's Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic (L) is congratulated by Barcelona's midfielder Andres Iniesta after scoring during the UEFA Champions ...
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Barcelona’s Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic (L) is congratulated by Barcelona’s midfielder Andres Iniesta after scoring during the UEFA Champions League Final football match between… (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur might be set for a boost in regards to signing Ivan Rakitic.

Mundo Deportivo in Spain reported in April that Spurs were interested in the Barcelona midfielder, who has one year left on his contract at Camp Nou.

And according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Barca might already have a replacement lined up.

Miralem Pjanic has been linked with a move to the Spanish giants, and the Juventus midfielder, being of a similar mould to the reported Tottenham target, might offset a switch to North London.

Balague said on YouTube when asked about the rumour of Pjanic going to Barca: “They’re very true. Thirty-year-old Pjanic who is a centre-midfielder with defensive and offensive obligations. A good engine, lots of quality, lots of running. He’d give a lot of good energy to the side.”

This is a boost for Tottenham because if the Catalan club are seriously pursuing Pjanic, then in theory it might mean that Rakitic is available.

The Croatia international has been a big player since joining Barcelona in 2014 and won the Champions League during his first season, but he has struggled for game time this year and, with his deal expiring in 12 months, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did want to offload him.

The former Sevilla midfielder turned 32 in March.