Rafinha to sign with Barça till 2020
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European champions Barcelona have offered Brazilian midfielder Rafinha a contract extension until 2020, the club revealed on Monday.
The 22-year-old has been sidelined for the past two months with cruciate ligament damage in his right knee that is expected to keep him out of action for the majority of the season.
"FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Rafael Alcantara, 'Rafinha', for the renewal of his contract until 30 June, 2020," Barça said in a statement. "The new contract will have a release clause of €75m ($82.5m, £53.5m) and the contract will be signed shortly."
Rafinha made 36 appearances in Barça's treble-winning campaign last season and had been set for an even bigger role this campaign until he was injured in a 1-1 draw away to Roma in the UEFA Champions League in September. His brother, Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, suffered similar knee problems last season before returning late in the campaign to help the German giants seal a third consecutive Bundesliga title.