Atletico Madrid favourites to sign Barcelona star

Atletico Madrid are reportedly leading the race for Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitiic.

The Croatian was linked with an exit in the winter transfer exchange after going down the pecking order of the Catalans .

According to Marca, Atletico, who had previously contacted the 31-year-old, are at the front of the queue for his transfer amidst the interest from Manchester United and Inter Milan.

Rakitic experienced a dramatic turn after being played down by then manager Ernesto Valverde at the start of this season; this was due to the arrival of the Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

The Croatian midfielder also expressed his discontent about the club's stance with his contract extension talks, which he cites as the reason for his decision to seek an exit.

Rojiblancos are having a fluctuating season this term, living below the expectations in La Liga while being productive in the Champions League campaign – winning against Liverpool in the round of 16 first leg.

Diego Simeone’s men are currently fifth in the league table, trailing Getafe by a point.