Barcelona star reveals why he rejected Chelsea but opens door to future deal

Ivan Rakitic rejected a move to Chelsea in 2004

BARCELONA midfielder Ivan Rakitic has opened up on his decision to turn down a move to Chelsea at the age of 16.

The Switzerland-born Croatia international caught the attention of the Chelsea scouts during his time at Basel, where he scored 11 goals in 34 first-team appearances.

But the 27-year-old admits he decided against a Stamford Bridge switch to progress as a player in familiar surrounding.
Rakitic relocated for Schalke in 2007 before his move to Spain three years later, when he arrived at Sevilla and, later, Barcelona.
"I wanted to stay at home,” he told FourFourTwo. “I had a really special relationship with the president of Basel.

A lot of my friends are playing in the Premier League; maybe one day I can too

Ivan Rakitic

"It was much better for me to do pre-season with the first team there and then work my way gradually to the top.
"There was another guy in my situation, Jonas Elmer, who moved from Zurich to Chelsea at the age of 17.
"He ended up playing in the second division in Switzerland. Maybe that could have been me."
But the 27-year-old admits he is open to the idea of one day playing in the Premier League.

Asked on the possibility of a future move to England, he added: “Of course, I like it very much.
"A lot of my friends are playing in the Premier League; it’s a different style of football and I always enjoy playing in Europe against English teams.
"Maybe one day I can play there, too.
"I like how every game is always intense and how everybody lives for football. You can have a game like Crystal Palace vs Stoke where both teams are strong, powerful, fully committed and the crowd are fully behind their team."