Report: Rakitic set to stay at Barcelona for rest of season

Ivan Rakitic counts English as one of the many languages he speaks, but the Croatian midfielder reportedly won't be moving to the United Kingdom during the January transfer window.

Rakitic, linked with Manchester City, is not looking to leave Barcelona despite a lack of playing time and is set to stay with the Blaugrana for at least the rest of the season, reports the Guardian's Sid Lowe.

The 28-year-old's last La Liga appearance came in December's edition of El Clasico, in which he was replaced by Andres Iniesta on the hour mark. He did, however, take the pitch in the Blaugrana's 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey's round of 32. His lack of minutes follows a season where he appeared in all but two of the Catalan club's La Liga fixtures.

Jurtanji, a Croatian media outlet, reported Sunday that City wanted Rakitic, but Luis Enrique put an end to the speculation after Barcelona's draw at Villarreal, saying: "It's up to me to decide the squads and the team. That's my job. What's been published has nothing to do with that. Only 25 percent of things are true, be it in the Croatian, Spanish, English, or Italian media."