Arsenal will have to move fast if they want to snap up Barcelona midfielder Rafinha, after Celta Vigo stepped up their bid to sign the Brazilian on loan.
The 24 year old has previously spent a spell at the Spanish side in 2013/14 season and speaking to Catalan publication Sport, the club’s sporting director Felipe Minambres has said they will look to advance negotiations in the next few days:
“We are in contact with Rafinha. There are options and we want to advance them in the coming days.”
Arsenal have been linked with Rafinha on a number of occasions in recent months, and they may still be interested in signing the player.
Sport say the likelihood of Rafinha joining Celta again isn’t that high, and that the Brazilian international’s agent and father has a number of offers from different clubs.
The midfielder has only recently recovered from a knee injury he sustained back in April. With Philippe Coutinho’s arrival at the Camp Nou, it is unlikely he will be given much game time between now and the end of the season in his favoured position.
In order to be in with a chance of making Brazil’s World Cup squad, Rafinha knows he will have to leave Barca with a loan deal the likeliest possibility at the moment.
