Mazinho confirms Rafinha to Inter reports

Speaking to 'Globo Esporte', Mazinho said: "Rafinha wants to join Inter because he simply wants to play.

"It is very difficult to get into the side in Barcelona, as there are so many players. He also had the bad luck of getting that knee injury over the last two years."

His father concluded: "He just wants to play, feel happy and do what he loves in an excellent club like Inter".

The Spanish-Brazilian is under contract at the Camp Nou until 2020 but has struggled to find a position in Ernesto Valverde's team with the Catalan club willing to sell the 24-year-old to offset the fee paid for Philippe Coutinho.

However, according to 'La Gazzetta dello Sport', initially the central midfielder will move to Milan on loan but the Italian side will have the option to make the deal permanent for £30m if he can post some impressive performances in Serie A. 

Rafinha graduated from the famed Barcelona academy 'La Masia' but has only made 79 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring 11 goals, the bulk of which came between 2014 and 2016.