Latest reports out of Italy today are that the agents for FC Barcelona midfielder Rafinha have offered the services of the Brazilian to Inter Milan.

Reports suggest Rafinha would be an alternative if Inter cannot reach terms with Manchester United to loan out midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The Nerazzurri are at the behest of Chinese ownership who have stated they are not interested in freeing up funds for the winter mercato, instead holding things back to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

Inter will need to have around €60 million to €70 million additional on the books before the end of the season to comply with the rules.

The only way Inter makes any big signings during this transfer window is if one of two things happen:

The Suning Group decide to take a chance on the club reaching the Champions League, thus putting some money in the team’s coffers by the end of the season, or; Striking deals with other clubs for loans back-ended with purchase obligations.

It is more likely that the second option is the most valid one.

Now, with Barcelona recently completing a big move in purchasing Phillipe Coutinho from Liverpool, the Blaugrana may want to offload some of their non-performing players such as Rafinha or fellow Inter-linked Gerard Deulofleu – meaning they may be willing to take option 2 to ship those players out.

The biggest problem with Rafinha is health. The Brazilian had two knee surgeries last year and has yet to start in a La Liga game this season. He is, however, also being targeted by Celta Vigo for transfer.

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