Ivan Rakitic has emerged as a target for Premier League club Arsenal, who might face a seriously depleted squad should Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanches and Theo Walcott all leave the Emirates at the end of the season.

Reports in Spain suggest that with Coutinho finally signing for the Catalan club, Ivan Rakitic will look for a switch in scenery as his place in the starting eleven is no longer guaranteed.

The 29-year-old knows that the arrival of Coutinho could spell an end to a guaranteed starting spot. Rakitic has been a regular for the La Liga giants this season, starting all but six games across all competitions.

According to Diario Gol, Juventus, Arsenal and Liverpool have already made their interest clear.

Arsene Wenger’s team might need Rakitic’s services more urgently with the future of a number of players of the club, looking in serious doubt. It has been reported that Manchester City is edging closer to signing Alexis Sanchez. Wenger recently responded to the speculation insisting that while City is yet to make contact with Sanchez,  “When solicitations happen, you respond to it.”

If Coutinho is worth £142M, how much could Arsenal have received for Ozil and Sanchez if they’d handled those situations better

— Mattias Karén (@MattiasKaren) January 6, 2018

Entering the last few months of their respective contracts, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are free to talk to foreign clubs directly.

While Ozil attracts interest from Juventus, Sanchez looks close to reuniting with former boss Pep Guardiola and Theo Walcott has interest from former club Southampton.