Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in bringing Barcelona midfielder Rafinha to the club this summer, but face competition from West Ham United.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to enter the race for Barcelona academy product Rafinha Alcantara according to reports from Spanish outlet Sport. The midfielder is also a target for Spurs’ London rivals West Ham United.
Rafinha, brother of Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara, came through the famed La Masia academy of Barcelona, but has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou by the Catalans and is on the lookout for a new club.
The 25-year old spent the second half of the 2017/18 campaign out on loan with Serie A side Inter Milan and impressed heavily during his spell with the Nerrazzurri. He went on to make 17 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals and setting up three more, helping Inter to a return to the UEFA Champions League next season.
The Italians had an option to make the deal a permanent one for a fee of €35 million, but are understood to be reluctant in meeting that figure, which has opened up an avenue for other clubs to swoop in.
Tottenham are understood to be seeking reinforcements in the middle of the park ahead of the next campaign, with midfield mainstay Mousa Dembele’s future at the clear still shrouded under doubts.
And manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t want to go into the next campaign unprepared and has identified Rafinha as someone who could bolster the ranks a great deal as the North Londoners look to put up a strong Premier League title bid.
However, they are not the only club interested in the 25-year old’s services as fellow Londoners West Ham United are also hot on their heels in the pursuit of the midfielder. Newly appointed manager Manuel Pellegrini is keen to revamp the midfield department at his new club and views Rafinha as a quality addition with his proven pedigree and versatile nature.
Moreover, Tottenham’s pursuit of the midfielder is also likely to get complicated because of Barcelona’s interest in Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen. Ernesto Valverde is intent on bringing the Spurs star to the Camp Nou next season and could use their interest in Rafinha as a bargaining chip to sign the Dane in the summer.
Rafinha, who has been capped two times by the Brazil national team, has featured 79 times for Barcelona and has netted 11 times, while laying on 8 assists. He is contracted to the Blaugrana till the summer of 2020, but his spell at the Camp Nou certainly seems to be nearing its end.
