Surely Rafinha isn’t worth even half this figure, yet..?
A report in Mundo Deportivo (translated by IBTimes), suggests that Liverpool, Arsenal and Juventus are all in a race to sign Barcelona’s Spaniard Rafinha Alcantra, brother of Bayern’s Thiago.
He’s 24-years-old but is now a regular in the first-team after multiple years on the fringes, capable of playing central midfield or on the right in Luis Enrique’s adapted 3-4-3 formation. In 13 La Liga starts, he’s notched six goals and registered two assists this term.
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His release clause is £64.8m, but there’ll only be a chance of a deal being done if Barca significantly lower their valuation.
But where would he play? We’re pretty well-stocked at right-back, but Rafinha could definitely be a creative force in one of our box-to-box midfield positions to the right of the anchorman.
Gini Wijnaldum currently occupies this spot though and we’re not sure Rafinha would be an upgrade, considering the money he’d cost.
If we’re going to break the bank, it should be on Virgil van Dijk or a top quality centre-forward.