Rafinha seeking new club after Inter option expires

Barcelona midfielder Rafinha will look to end his loan at Inter and "find a new team as soon as possible" following interest from "big teams" according to his father and agent, former Brazil international Mazinho.

Inter agreed a loan deal for the 25-year-old in January, with the option to buy for €38million, but Mazinho said the club has not shown enough desire to secure a permanent deal for the Brazilian playmaker.

Rafinha scored twice in 17 appearances for Inter after falling out of favour at Camp Nou, but the arrival of Radja Nainggolan at San Siro indicated that he is not in head coach Luciano Spalletti's plans.

"The agreement with the club expired on June 5," Mazinho told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Now it is right to look for other solutions.

"If the people at Inter had strongly desired my son, they would have moved with more determination."

Rafinha enjoyed three seasons in the first team at Barcelona, making 48 LaLiga appearances for the Blaugrana between 2014 and 2017, but failed to reclaim his place in the team after undergoing surgery on a meniscus problem in April 2017.

Mazinho gave no indication that his son would return to Camp Nou, saying: "We need to evaluate the best for him. Until now everything was still waiting for Inter, now it's time to find a new team as soon as possible.

"LaLiga, Premier League, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga clubs have come in. From Serie A, of course, some big teams have already contacted us.

"The goal is to start the season with a new shirt. It does not depend only on us, but also on Barcelona."