'I carry Inter in my heart, but Spalletti didn't want me'

The Brazilian playmaker will have the chance to go up against his former side at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, with the Serie A giants having turned down the opportunity to sign him on a permanent deal last season.

Speaking to 'SportMediaset', Rafinha singled out Inter boss Luciano Spalletti as the man responsible for vetoing his move.

"I carry Inter in my heart, but Spelletti didn't want to keep me. He's a great manager, but I don't think he wanted me. I thought I would stay, but in the end they chose other players," Rafinha admitted, despite having reportedly been promised a permanent move if Inter qualified for the Champions League (which they did).

"I know that in the summer some fans got involved and created a movement on social media to try to get me to stay, which was a great example of the effect they had on me. In Milan, there was an immediate and natural bond. I'm still in contact with my team-mates, the medical department and the club directors," he revealed.

Whilst recent reports have suggested that Inter could come back in for him in January, the player himself all but ruled out the chances of that happening. "Unfortunately the door is closed on that one and I don't think it can be re-opened. I'm at Barca now and I'm in a good place."

"I sometimes speak with Icardi," Rafinha added, with the pair having played alongside each other in Barca's academy before the Argentine's move to Sampdoria. Whilst Rafinha isn't enjoying anywhere near as much game time as he would like in Catalonia, Barca boss Ernesto Valverde continues to see him as a valuable member of his squad.