Rafinha to go on loan to Italian Serie A power Inter Milan

After Brazilian midfielder Rafinha returned to Barcelona after a 9 month absence, he is set to go on loan to Italian power Inter Milan.

Last season, Rafinha suffered a very bad meniscus injury in April against Granada in La Liga action. After missing competitive games for Barcelona for 9 months, the Brazilian midfielder was able to feature in Copa Del Rey action against Espanyol. However, that could’ve been his final action in a Barcelona shirt for now. According to his father, Rafinha is set to go on loan to Italian club Inter Milan for the rest of the season.

As of right now, the move to Inter will be a loan for the rest of the season. However, if Inter qualify for the Champions League, they will have the option to keep him on a permanent deal for 35 million euros. There could also be 3 million euros in potential bonuses if the deal does end up getting completed. In the end, the 24-year-old is just looking for playing time at a different club at the moment.

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Currently, a lot of younger players in the Barcelona team have been able to make onto the match-day squad for certain matches. Rafinha would have to break through to get back into the plans of manager Ernesto Valverde. By the looks of things, players like Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho have been signed to fill the depth in the midfield.

Paulinho, a fellow Brazilian has been playing very well and he has been able to win their way onto Valverde’s squads consistently. Rather than fight for his place, Rafinha could go on loan to get his feet back under him and then potentially return when he is ready to do so. His father talked about why this loan move will be made. In the end, Rafinha’s father is thinking about the bigger picture for his son.

"“Rafinha’s objective is just to play. It’s difficult for him to do that at Barcelona. There are a lot of good players [in his position] and it’s been similar for five years now. He’s had bad luck with injuries in these last two years and he just wants to play and feel happy doing what he likes doing at an excellent club like Inter. We hope that these three or four months will help him get back into the Brazil squad for the World Cup. He’s going to take advantage of this chance in Italy.”Mazinho to Diario Sport on Rafinha"

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Overall, Ernesto Valverde will be happy to let Rafinha go on loan for the rest of the season. He hasn’t been able to play and the team has made signings over the last two transfer windows to help with the midfield. In the end, Rafinha is still only 24 years old and can make a good impact wherever he does. Hopefully, he can recreate his form at Celta Vigo from a few years ago with Inter.

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