Manchester United told to pay £48m for Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic - reports

The Croatia international is valued at €55million (£48m) by the Spanish club, but the Daily Record are reporting that United are ready to bid over £30m for the 31-year-old to test Barcelona's resolve.

Frenkie de Jong is heading to the Nou Camp this summer from Ajax, leading to some suggestions that Rakitic, 31, is surplus to requirements under Ernesto Valverde.

But in an exclusive interview with Mundo Deportivo, the midfielder played down a move away, and insists he is not concerned about De Jong's imminent arrival.

"I want people to understand my commitment to this club," he said. "I'm fortunate to be at Barça. I'm glad Barça signed de Jong. First of all, he's a young kid who plays great football. I'm happy the club is making this club stronger.

"However, I wish him good luck. I respect him. Besides, he plays in a different position that isn't mine, so I don't get why people are saying de Jong is replacing me. Even in his club and internationally, he plays in a different position."

Despite Rakitic's claims, the Daily Record understand that Barcelona need to raise funds in order to carry out their own transfer plans, with De Jong's team-mate Matthijs de Ligt top of the wish list.

Ander Herrera is departing Old Trafford this summer when his contract expires while Paul Pogba has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, and Rakitic, who is contracted to Barcelona until 2021, has been earmarked by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the ideal replacement.

Speaking on beIN Sports in March, former United boss Jose Mourinho said: “For me, Rakitic is one of the most underrated players in the world.

"He is a fantastic player at every level. He does defensive work on the right side to compensate for Messi. He runs miles. In ball possession he is fantastic. He is simple, he is effective. He is one of the most underrated players.

"Normally we speak about the big names, but Rakitic, for me he needs to improve his Instagram and his social media, because in this moment this is very important, and he’s not very good on that, but he’s very good on the pitch.”