Barcelona player Ivan Rakitic says he controls his future and believes he is “not a sack of potatoes you can do anything with”.
Barcelona wanted to move the Croatia international onto French team Paris Saint-Germain last year as part of a deal that would have seen Neymar return back to the Nou Camp.
But Rakitic, who has won 13 major honours since signing for Barcelona from Sevilla in 2014, rejected the move, and has now told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo: “I understand the situation, but I’m not a sack of potatoes that you can just do anything with.
“I want to be somewhere I feel wanted, respected and needed. If that’s here then I’ll be delighted, but if it’s somewhere else, I’ll be the one who decides where, not anyone else.
“Last year was the best of the six I’ve had here and I was annoyed with how I was treated. I was very surprised and I didn’t understand it.”
Rakitic was a regular in Barcelona’s team until this campaign, with the arrival of Frenkie de Jong meaning the 32-year-old has started just 10 La Liga games.
“The results have not been the best and I haven’t played much, that is why I felt hurt,” Rakitic, whose contract expires in 2021, continued.
“I had a very strange first half of the season, it was very uncomfortable and surprising for me. I hope I can finish this last year of my contract.”
Barcelona are currently top of League table, which is suspended indefinitely because of the global coronavirus crisis.
However, their strong league position has not stopped players such as Ivan Rakitic from speaking out against the Spanish club.
Last month, Lionel Messi accused people at club of leaking stories to the press to try to pressure the team into accepting pay cuts while the league is shut down.
