Rafinha: Arthur has a ‘touch of Xavi about him’

Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has heaped praise on compatriot Arthur, who has made a strong start with the Spanish champions. The 21-year-old joined the Blaugrana from Gremio earlier this month and the Brazilian has since made his mark after scoring in the recent friendly triumph over Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking to reporters, Rafinha heaped praised on the club’s summer signing and believes the midfielder has some qualities which could be associated with Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, he said: “I don’t like to make comparisons usually, but he has a touch of Xavi about him. It’s the way he touches the ball, the way he passes it. He’s a great, great signing for Barcelona.”

Meanwhile, Arthur had initially been expected to join the Catalan giants midway through the 2018/19 campaign and the Brazilian has revealed his delight after seeing his dream move in advance, he said: “It’s a dream to be here. I have worked hard for this and fortunately now I am here. I am really happy. I want to work hard to be able to give my best. I am happy for my goal and for the result.”

Aside from Arthur, Barcelona have recruited Clement Lenglet and Malcom to bolster the defensive and forward positions respectively and their transfer business appears pretty much up for the summer. Nevertheless, they have been associated with a surprise move for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard of late and the next few days could give an indication whether the Belgian fancies a switch to the Camp Nou.

Hazard has been with the Blues since the summer of 2012 but his future has come under question this summer after he admitted that it could be time to move on from the west London giants. Despite this, he is understood to have a keen preference to join Real Madrid and this could hamper Barcelona’s prospects of signing him.