What's going on with Rafinha's move to Real Betis?

The departure which is taking the longest time to complete is Rafinha's. Why? Maybe that shouldn't be viewed as a negative as it's the one deal Ernesto Valverde doesn't want to go through. The coach has told the board, and the player, that he's part of his plans for this season. However the fact Rafinha wasn't named in the squad for the match against Valladolid might mean that Valverde's accepted defeat in keeping Rafinha at the club.

However the reason this transfer hasn't moved forward is simply down to money. Real Betis are the side interested in Rafinha but it isn't an easy deal to pull off. Barcelona believe, with the player's contract running out in 2020, that they can't let a player leave on loan without a complusary purchase being agreed at the end of it. Barça did this before with Inter Milan, although that fee wasn't complusary, and got their fingers burnt. Not again.

This means Barça are willing to let the situation drag on even longer as they look to agree a fee in the region of €20m for the midfielder. This is a sum beyond Betis' means. They are, however, happy to pay a loan fee and cover the player's wages for the season.

In the end it appears inevitable that Rafinha will leave on a loan deal and Barça will try to get the maximum amount for an initial fee, as well as on a future transfer. The issues don't stop there as Betis are only willing to accept a compulsary purchase if the player fulfills certain requirements, be that individual or collective achievements. Then it wouldn't really be compulsary. In Sevilla they believe Barça are trying to get Rafinha to sign a new contract before he's loaned out so that a decision can be made on his future next summer.

Whatever the case, it appears that Rafinha will leave the club in the next few hours. The player is convinced by the project at Betis and values the fact Quique Setien is pushing for him to join the team. It would represent quite the signing for Betis but they are in a race against the clock. As we've seen already in this market, things can change at the last minute.