Barca Coach hints: Rafinha could stay
The Spanish-Brazilian has been linked to a move to Inter, who need central midfielders.
Though injured, he was picked for - and played - in his first game of the season last night as Barcelona fell to local rivals Espanyol 1-0 in a tense derby.
Speaking after the game, in which former Milanista Diego Lopez saved a Lionel Messi penalty, Valverde commented: “Rafinha is one more player that can help us.
“We have several players injured and he’s training well. He’s improving with each day that passes.
In losing 1-0, Barcelona were defeated for the first time in all competitions since the start of the campaign, where they lost both Super Cup final games to Real Madrid.
“Defeat,” Valverde continued, “We bore the brunt of the game and they waited for us to take advantage of their game plan.
“They took the last chance they had. It was quite a dangerous place to play because they could counter any little imprecision we made.