La Liga leaders Barcelona need to sell after signing Coutinho from Liverpool, which could pave the way for Rafinha to join the Reds’ rivals Everton.
Barcelona may be basking in the club-record signing of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool but the Brazilian’s £142 million arrival comes at a cost.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Barca will have to balance the books somehow and will attempt to do that by cashing in on a number of their fringe players in the January transfer window – including Coutinho’s fellow Samba star Rafinha. And, unsurprisingly, there is hardly a shortage of interest in one of the most talented young midfielders in European football.
Rafinha has been heavily linked with a move to Serie A giants Inter Milan, but a switch to the Premier League could also be on the cards this month.
Calciomercato states that Everton are one of two English top flight sides keen to offer the Brazilian an escape route out of the Camp Nou. It is understood that the Toffees see Rafinha as a potential replacement for Ross Barkley, who finally completed a £15 million move to join Chelsea this month.
But Rafinha, the younger brother of Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara, is arguably a more naturally gifted talent than Chelsea’s new number eight.
The 24-year-old made great strides in Barca’s first-team last season, scoring six times in 14 La Liga starts and, if it had not been for a series of unfortunate and long-term injuries, perhaps the Catalan giants would not have needed to pay a huge fee to sign Coutinho.
It is understood that Inter are willing to pay around £18 million for Rafinha, meaning Everton should start the bidding quite high.
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