Barcelona winger Raphinha has denied that he has given his blessing for the club to start welcoming offers for him in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Raphinha joined Barcelona from Leeds last summer in a deal worth up to £55m. The Brazilian has had a mixed start to the season, finding himself in and out of the starting XI and struggling for goals and assists. But he has hit his stride since 2022 became 2023, scoring nine straight goals in his last 16 La Liga games, compared to just four in his first 15.
However, Barcelona’s ongoing financial problems will make selling players necessary again to raise capital ahead of next season, especially with ambitions to re-sign Lionel Messi.
In that regard, Ansu Fatima has already been told he can leave, as reported by 90min.
There is likely to be no shortage of interest in Raphinha. Arsenal wanted the 26-year-old last summer when he was on his way out of Leeds and even made contact with Barcelona in January for both him and Ferran Torres after Chelsea missed out on Mykhailo Mudryk.
North London’s interest in both players remains, last week that Arsenal are still determined to sign the right winger as part of a targeted wider campaign ahead of a return to the UEFA Champions League next season for the first time in six years. .
Raphinha and Torres are each on the Gunners’ target list, as is Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby. Soon-to-be free agent Wilfried Zaha is also a secondary option at this stage.
But Raphinha reacted angrily to a Fanaticos Por Futebol Instagram post claiming he had said ‘OK’ to Barcelona listening to offers. The post made specific reference to Chelsea and Newcastle and appeared to twist the report originally published by SPORT.
“That’s a lie and whoever said that is a liar, uninformed and unprofessional,” he replied bluntly.
Raphinh’s determination to stay at Barcelona is understandable. As reported by 90min last July, he was waiting for a transfer to the Camp Nou at a time when Chelsea had already agreed a fee with Leeds. The Blues have apparently been unable to agree personal terms, with the player and agent Deco, a former Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea star, both eyeing a move to Catalonia.
