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Calciomercato.com is reporting that Barcelona midfielder Rafinha Alcantara wants to return to Inter Milan next season.
But, now that the Nerazzurri are close to a deal with Bayern Munich for Arturo Vidal, that return could be problematic.
In a recent interview, Rafinha said he desperately wants to play and that his time at Inter was “splendid.”
“I’d tell you [about my future] if I knew. A lot of things have been said about me recently,” Rafinha said. “I spent some splendid months at Inter, and I would have liked to continue playing there, I’d like to return there but I am a Barcelona player now.
“My objective is to play, any player would want to play. I don’t know if this will be here or elsewhere but I want to play.”
Rafinha impressed during his short stint with Inter last season, but the team was unable to meet Barcelona’s €35 million price tag for the Brazilian.
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As for Vidal, Football Italia is reporting that the Chilean midfielder has already agreed to personal terms with Inter that will pay him €5 million per season on a three-year contract with the Nerazzurri.
Additionally, Bayern Munich is taking much less than its original asking price for Vidal. The transfer deal, which will include an initial loan followed by an obligation purchase is valued at between €20 million and €25 million … much less than the €30 million the Bundesliga champions were asking for.
If the deal for Vidal does go through, it would likely leave little room for Inter to sign Rafinha to any kind of deal. Rafinha has been linked to clubs in the Premier League as well as Lazio which still gives him options to play as it is less and less likely he will get playing time with Barcelona.
While Rafinha did impress last season, Inter would get a more seasoned player in Vidal for less money. Vidal played four seasons with Juventus before moving to Bayern in 2015. Vidal not only has World Cup and Champions League experience, but also experience playing for league championship teams.
For now, it appears Rafinha’s dream of returning to Inter has been dashed and he will have to settle for moving to a different club to get playing time.
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