Tottenham Hotspur continued to be linked with both Andre Gomes and Rafinha.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Tottenham Hotspur are trailing Arsenal in the race to sign Barcelona’s Andre Gomes – but he isn’t the only Camp Nou outcast to be linked.
Gomes, 25, was expected to become Barcelona’s next midfield star when he joined from Spanish rivals Valencia in the summer of 2016, but he has failed to impress under Luis Enrique or Ernesto Valverde.
The Portuguese ace started just six league games last season as Valverde made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t fancied, and his lack of football saw him miss out on a World Cup spot with Portugal.
A move seems inevitable, and whilst Tottenham are in the market for another midfielder this summer, one of Gomes’ Barcelona teammates may actually be a better option.
SPORT recently claimed that Brazilian midfielder Rafinha is set to leave Barca this summer, and with Inter seemingly choosing not to activate their purchase clause after a successful loan spell, Tottenham are allegedly looking to pounce.
Rafinha, also 25, hit two goals and three assists in 17 games for Inter in the second half of last season, and given what Spurs are looking for, he makes more sense than Gomes.
Questions linger over Mousa Dembele’s future, meaning boss Mauricio Pochettino should be looking to bring in a midfielder who can carry the ball and drive through midfield, with a left-footer potentially preferred in order to offer balance.
Rafinha ticks all those boxes, and whilst he has had injury problems over the years, his impact with Inter shows that he has great talent when given consistent playing time – and it would be much easier for Spurs to plug him into Dembele’s role than attempt to shoehorn Gomes there, or alter Tottenham’s style of play to fit the passer into midfield.
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