Agent of . Manchester United right back Rafael has confirmed that the defender will leave Old Trafford this summer and have welcomed interest from AS Roma and Fiorentina.
The 25-year-olda s future at Manchester United has remained under constant speculation this summer and now his agent Cassiano Pereira has confirmed that they are in talks with a lot of clubs and has welcomed the possibility of moving to Serie A. Pereira also revealed that Rafael isna t part of Louis van Gaala s plans for the club, after he was excluded from the 26-man squad which has traveled to USA for their preseason tour.
Agent confirms Rafael is looking for a new club
“His contract expires in June 2016 and the coach, Van Gaal, said he isn’t counting on him, so the player wants to leave and we are talking with more than one club about this.
“Roma would be a more than welcome destination. We would be more than happy to talk to the capital club. Italy would be a great opportunity, particularly as he has a Portuguese passport.” a Rafaela s agent told Tuttomercatoweb.
The former Fluminense right back, who joined United in 2008, has also attracted attention from Fiorentina and when asked about whether Rafael will consider a move to Florence, he said: “Definitely. As I said before, we are in contact with several clubs, but I can’t reveal them.
“If Fiorentina call us, we’ll be very happy to talk. The player is very interested in playing in Italy.”
Pereira also refused to rule out the possibility of Rafael joining Galatasaray this summer, he said: “It’s a possible path, like any other.”
Rafael has no future under Louis van Gaal
Rafael made only 11 appearances for Manchester United last season with Louis van Gaal preferring both Antonio Valencia and Phil Jones as the right back, over him. The Red Devils have also signed Italian international Matteo Darmian in this transfer window, who is expected to be van Gaala s number one choice for that role next season. This has pushed Rafael further down the pecking order, and he certainly needs a new club to restart his initially promising career.
Most of the Old Trafford faithfuls feel that Rafael didna t get the chance to prove himself under the new management, and perhaps this move is right for all parties involved. His departure will open up space for more new arrivals, whereas the Brazilian will get regular first team football, which is vital for him at this point of his career.