clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Rafinha Alcântara came close to joining Lazio, according to club official

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Rafinha Alcântara is the man of the hour and the talk of the town following his tremendous performance against Villarreal in Barcelona's win last Sunday. But, according to a club official from Italy, we would not have seen Rafinha in a Blaugrana uniform this season if it wasn't for Luis Enrique.

Lazio's sporting director, Igli Tare, gave an interview to an Italian radio in which he revealed that he was really close to inking an agreement with the 21-year-old, but the negotiations didn't work at the last minute because of Barça's manager.

"Rafinha had accepted a transfer last summer, everything was done and he was in the process of packing his bags. Unfortunately for us, Luis Enrique vetoed the deal at the last minute and destroyed all of our plans.

"They have turned Rafinha into an untouchable piece on the market, and they're right to do that. I'm certain that he would elevate the level of play in our team. It's unfortunate."

Source: Sport

This deal was actually done, and the only reason why the little Alcântara is now a Blaugrana is Luis Enrique. Now that Rafinha is playing well and earning more minutes, can we all agree that Lucho is actually a good thing for us? No? Okay.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Barca Blaugranes Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Barca news from Barca Blaugranes