Barcelona are having trouble offloading Rafinha as their €15 million valuation for the Brazilian has been deemed too expensive by Valencia.
According to Sport, Valencia have set their sights on Barcelona midfielder Rafinha this summer, after securing the services of Maxi Gomez. But, the Spanish giants are being put off by Barca’s hefty €15 million price-tag for the Brazilian, whose current contract at the club expires at the end of next season.
The Catalans, however, are reluctant to lower their asking price for Rafinha, who is unlikely to get a prominent role in the first-team next season following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch international is expected to a vital role in Barcelona midfield in the coming years, after arriving from Ajax in a big-money move.
Besides, the Spanish champions also boast the services of Arthur Melo, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Melo, further blighting Rafinha’s chance of becoming a regular fixture in the Barcelona setup next season.
The Brazilian midfielder was notably loaned to Inter Milan during the 2017/18 campaign. But, he was a bit-part player at the club, mustering a little over 1,000 minutes of league football. As a result, he returned to Barcelona last summer. However, an unfortunate ACL injury drastically minimised his game time at Catalonia, with the 26-year-old ending up making only five league appearances last season.
As for Valencia, they are keen on adding more to their creative department and Rafinha, in that regard, could be an excellent signing. The La Masia graduate could provide competition to the likes of Daniel Wass and Dani Parejo while he can also be considered as a backup for Carlos Soler, who predominantly plays on the right midfield slot.
Rafinha has the versatility as well as the technical prowess to prove himself a real asset to Marcelinho, who will keen on securing yet another top-four finish in the league next season. However, they are also right to protest Barcelona’s hefty valuation for the Brazilian, especially given the fact that his contract at the club expires next year.
As mentioned earlier, the Catalan giants are unlikely to hand Rafinha a prominent role in the first-team next season. Hence, they could afford to sell the midfielder this summer. In fact, failing to get rid of him in this ongoing summer transfer window would provide other clubs with the opportunity to sign the player on a pre-season contract in January.
And that could be a massive blow for Barcelona, who are in dire need of cash as they plot move for a sensational Neymar return. Therefore, the Spanish champions quickly need to sort out their decision regarding the sale of Rafinha as they continue their squad overhaul this summer.
