Arsenal and AC Milan are interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Rafinha, according to latest reports from Spain.
Spanish outlet Super Deporte claim that the Gunners are looking to replace Mesut Özil with the Brazilian, reports the Express It’s believed once the 24-year-old returns from injury, he will look to leave the club. This is despite previous assurances from his agent that he has no interest in doing so.
The difference now is reportedly that Rafinha is worried about missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia. AC Milan are also supposedly in for the player, and would be willing to loan him with an option to buy later. Arsenal have been linked all summer.
Rafinha has been with Barcelona since he was a youth player, joining the club in 2006. It was after a loan to Celta Vigo in 2013/14 that he finally started to get chances in the first-team, but so far those opportunities have never come consistently.
In his first full season with the senior squad, Rafinha managed 36 appearances, with 24 coming in the league. His 2014/15 tally is a decent return but one he has never matched since.
In 2015/16, an injury heavily disrupted his season, and things weren’t much better the following campaign either, as he still played less than half of Barcelona’s league matches. I feel it would be a risk for Arsenal or Milan to take a punt on the midfielder.