The saga is over: Inter are set to confirm the signing of Rafinha, after Barcelona accepted their latest offer of a €3 million loan fee with an option to buy for a further €35 million plus bonuses included in the deal.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the bonuses relate to whether the Nerazzurri qualify for next season’s Champions League and the number of appearances the Brazilian makes. Indeed, the 24-year-old is due to arrive in Milan either today or tomorrow to undergo his medical tests before the move is completed.
He will be in San Siro to watch his new teammates play against Roma on Sunday night, where Radja Nainggolan will be on the pitch. The Belgian caused him to miss six months of action back in 2015 with a bad tackle. The number 12 jersey is waiting for him in Milan.
It was not an easy deal to conclude, but the player’s desire to seek a new challenge proved decisive in the end. Rafinha could be deployed as a trequartista behind Mauro Icardi, or on the right wing as an alternative to Antonio Candreva. Time will tell where Luciano Spalletti views him as being most effective.
Not sure why we’re paying so much for this player. He was on a long injury and obviously lacks match fitness. Not worth the gamble imo.
because we are not paying yet…if he will be good we can cash in and take him permanetly, if he is not even worth 35 mil than we shouldnt pay for him and send him back.
That’s a fair point, although 3M loan fee for 6-month seems very pricey. So even if we don’t exercise the option to buy, this isn’t a cheap deal.
Thats funny, Im thinking
We should never ever touch players from Joorabchian. What a garbage agent.
There is no 3mn loan fee. The 3mn being talked about above are performance related bonuses that will be triggered post transfer based on some sort of pre-agreed milestones which is pretty common these days. Only thing we are paying for at the moment is Rafinha’s salary. So its a great deal.
OK. Assuming he can play well & contribute for Inter, yes that could be a good deal. I’m not so convinced that would be the case though, we’ll see.