Barcelona Ace Rafinha's Agent Claims Star Has Had Many Offers as Inter Pull Out of Permanent Deal

Barcelona ace Rafinha's agent (and father) has claimed that a number of sides from across Europe's elite leagues have made enquiries about his client, despite Inter rejecting the option to sign their loanee on a permanent deal at the end of last season.

According to Football Italia, Inter turned down the opportunity to bring the 25-year-old in on a €35m permanent deal, after he made just 12 starts in the league last season. With the clause now expired, Rafinha's agent has claimed that he will be evaluating his options, stating: "We couldn’t afford to wait any longer (for Inter), now it’s only right for us to look around.

"He loved it at Inter, he adapted immediately and the fans took to him with affection and enthusiasm. Unfortunately we’ve had no signals from the club. It’s a shame, because it would’ve been a chance to play for Inter in Europe after conquering it on the pitch. The agreement with Barça expired on June 5."

"My son would go back even now, but it’s been too long. If they’d wanted to take it seriously they would have moved with conviction. Now it’s important to choose someone else. We’re evaluating, the phone is ringing. There have been requests from La Liga, the Premier League, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga".

It is unclear which sides may have made their interest in Rafinha known, and it could be the case that his agent is looking to actively drum up interest in the former two-time La Liga winner in order to aid his exit from Barcelona. Having seen his career stagnate in recent years, the tenacious midfielder will be eager to get himself back on track with a new fresh start.

Marco Luzzani/GettyImages

In other news, Barcelona are rumoured to be preparing to join Manchester United and Juventus in the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti. The Italian international is believed to be eager for a new challenge, and could find himself surplus to requirements at the Parc des Princes if PSG are able to sign their top target N'Golo Kanté from Chelsea.