Premier League Rumors: Barcelona Starts Talks With Atletico Madrid For Rakitic

The woes of Ivan Rakitic may soon come to an end. With reports that the 31-year-old is pretty unhappy at Camp Nou, a change of scenery is seen as the best recourse to address the Croatian midfielder's future.

It is no secret that Rakitic is pretty unhappy at how things are going on ver in Barcelona. In fact, there were already rumblings that the midfielder would be leaving the club as early as the January transfer window. Rakitic finally spoke on what lies ahead. He met the press following their 2-1 win over Levante, Sport reported. From his words, it appears he has moved on from that episode and is looking forward to starting fresh.

"I've been through some bad times, but it's now in the past. I can say very clearly that things have happened that I have not liked. I have not deserved some of the behavior (towards me)," he said.

Regardless of what he has been going through, it appears Rakitic is treating everything as professional as possible. Despite talk of an impending departure, he says his team can continue to count on him for now with the transfer window closed, Goal.com reported.

As for his playing future, it appears any transfer involving the former Sevilla man will have to wait until the summer. Several teams were linked to Rakitic, including Manchester United and Juventus. Starting against Levante, something that could be considered a good sign. It remains to be seen if he will still be starting in future matches. This season, he has started in eight La Liga matches already.

After joining Barcelona back in 2014, Rakitic has played more than 2,000 minutes every La Liga season, the Bleacher Report reported. However, it appears he may not reach those marks this 2019-20. His contract does not expire until 2021 although something is likely to go down in the summer. The Catalans are expected to want a reasonable return in exchange for the Croat.

In a recent report, the team where Barcelona is likely to deal Rakitic is Atletico Madrid. According to Cadena Ser, a Rakitic signing is most likely to happen this summer with Atletico making him a priority.