Ivan Rakitic has made it clear on several occasions recently that he is not satisfied with the role he currently has at Barcelona having lost his place in the side.
Coach Ernesto Valverde appears to have lost confidence in the midfielder. Sergio Busquets, Arthur, Frenkie de Jong, Arturo Vidal and Sergi Roberto have all been used ahewad of him.
Rakitic said this week that he was "sad" because the ball has been taken away from him. The only way for him to get the ball back may be to leave Camp Nou in January after five-and-a-half years at the club.
Barça have already received an offer from a Premier League club for around 15 million euros, a figure which is a long way short of what they hope to bring in for the former Sevilla player (around 35 million).
Atletico Madrid have also been linked with a move for Rakitic, while Italian sides Inter and Juventus are long-time admirers.
Juve is the project that most convinces Rakitic. But it seems the Old Lady are only prepared to make a loan offer if no other player leaves the club. That's where Blaise Matuidi comes in. He is out of contract next summer and they may look to cash in on him in January.
It's worth remembering that Barça need to bring in 124 million in sales before the end of June to balance the books. The problem is that Rakitic does not want to go to the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Carles Aleña and Riqui Puig's immediate futures also need to be resolved in January.