Inter Milan boss confirms intention to sign Rafinha on a permanent deal

Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti has confirmed his desire to sign Rafinha on a permanent deal at the end of the season. The Brazil international joined the Nerazzurri on a season-long loan from Barcelona last summer with the option to buy for €35m.

Speaking ahead of Inter’s final game of the season, Spalletti admitted that he is open to the possibility of extending his stay and the same goes to several other players within the squad, he said:
“Absolutely, there is the will and the awareness of being able to do many things together. In part it has already been done. I do not see anyone, except maybe a moment or a footballer who lives a particular something at a given moment and maybe outside the context of training based on how much he's living, nobody wants to leave Inter, they want to stay all because Inter is a strong team.”
Inter were typically cruising at the top of the standings during the first half of the season and there were suggestions that they could compete for the Serie A crown. However, their form nosedived heading into 2018 and they have since been in a three-way battle with AS Roma and Lazio for the Champions League spots.

Heading into the final gameweek, Roma have already managed to seal the third spot in the standings and Inter are now in a straight fight with Lazio for the final Champions League place. To make things interesting, Lazio are scheduled to host Inter in the last game of the Serie A campaign and the visitors need to compulsorily pick up a win in order to finish fourth on the head-to-head.

The Nerazzurri have not been in the Champions League for the past six seasons and their previous participation in the elite competition came during the 2011/12 campaign where they lost to Marseille on away goals at the round of 16 stage.