Barcelona to renew Rafinha deal before loan move

Barcelona are set to renew the contract of midfielder Rafinha Alcantara before loaning him out, according to Marca.

The midfielder’s contract is up at the end of this season but the club are reluctant to sanction a permanent sale despite the player’s track record of injuries.

It is said that Valencia are still open to the possibility of bringing in the 26-year-old this summer, having previously made attempts to sign him in a permanent deal worth €15m.

Rafinha has been blighted by similar injury problems over the years – he had a stint on loan at Inter for the second half of the 2017-18 season but featured in just five La Liga games last campaign before suffering a MCL knee ligament injury.

The Brazilian is set to be a number of players to exit the Camp Nou this summer and goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen has already joined Valencia, with Neto going the other way.

With the clubs maintaining a good relationship and locked in negotiations, another mentioned Valencia target – Denis Suarez – has since joined Celta Vigo.

Denis, Cillessen, Thomas Vermaelen, Douglas Pereira, Jeison Murillo and Kevin Prince-Boateng have been among the departures from the Camp Nou this summer.

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