Liverpool could beat Arsenal to the signing of Barcelona midfielder Rafinha.

Barcelona have stockpiled a bunch of average midfielders and would be delighted if a club dropped a ton of money on one of them. That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who claim that there is significant interest in Rafinha from the Premier League and Serie A.

Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan and Inter Milan have all been credited with an interest. Liverpool are said to be leading the way, as they’re prepared to pay anything between £27m and £36m for the Brazilian. That’s quite a big range but highlights how desperate manager Jurgen Klopp is to bolster his midfield given the lack of summer activity.

Rafinha is a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and became a member of their first-team squad after an impressive loan spell at Celta Vigo under former-Barcelona manager Luis Enrique. However, he’s been plagued with injury problems in the last two seasons and has made just 39 appearances in all competitions.

You’d have to wonder if any club would spend £30m or more for an injury-prone player. Arsenal especially already have one injury prone midfield in Jack Wilshere, and would surely want a more reliable performer to replace the injured Santi Cazorla. Rafinha is talented, no doubt, and could improve the side, but his signing would be a gamble.