Jose Mourinho, as most people already know, is a fan of Ivan Rakitic but what does the Croatian think about the Tottenham Hotspur boss?
Mundo Deportivo have claimed that Tottenham are interested in signing Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic in the summer transfer window.
The Croatian will enter the final year of his contract this summer and it seems clear that Barcelona want to get rid of him. Spurs are said to be interested and it could mainly be due to Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The former Real Madrid boss heaped praise on Rakitic last year – saying he is fantastic at every level and claiming that he is one of the most underrated players in world football. (BeIN Sports)
Such high praise coming from one of the best managers football is always a massive compliment to any player and Rakitic is no different.
The Barcelona midfielder responded to Mourinho’s praising saying: “What can you say? I don’t have enough words to thank Mourinho, he is one of the best experts in the world. I don’t know if my Dad has ever praised me in a better way. This type of praise is very nice and I enjoy hearing it.” (Sport)
It seems clear that there is a huge amount of mutual respect between the two and that could potentially lay the foundation for a move to North London this summer.
Mourinho’s problems with Tanguy Ndombele have been heavily publicised and, with both Eric Dier and Harry Winks proving to be inconsistent, a new midfielder could well be on the Spurs boss’s mind.
Rakitic, with just one year left on his contract, could be available for relatively a cheap price. Mourinho hasn’t really had any reservations about signing older players in the past and Rakitic being 32 shouldn’t prove too much of a problem now either.
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