La Liga giants Barcelona are intensifying their efforts to sign Leeds United attacker Raphinha, who is also on the radars of Liverpool and Chelsea.
According to SPORT, Barcelona are starting to feel confident about completing a move for Leeds United winger Raphinha and are now prepared to ramp up their efforts to get the deal through. The Blaugrana have had a long-standing interest in the Brazil international and now want to finalise the details of the move.
The SPORT report claims that Raphinha’s proposed move to Barcelona is now entering its ‘decisive phase’. The Catalan giants are preparing a new offer for the 25-year-old and sporting director Mateu Alemany has reportedly met Leeds’ representatives to discuss terms of a possible deal.
Barcelona are focused on bringing Leeds’ valuation of the winger down. The Premier League side want at least €50 million for their star attacker, but the Blaugrana are hoping to get the asking price down to around €40 million. They also want to fine-tune the details as soon as possible to avoid ‘interference’ from other interested parties.
Xavi Hernandez’s side hold an upper hand in their pursuit of Raphinha as the player is also keen on a move to the Camp Nou. Club president Joan Laporta reportedly cleared any doubts lingering in the player’s mind regarding Barcelona’s financial muscle over a phone call and assured him the club will do everything in their power to materialise the deal.
But Barcelona will have to move quickly as other clubs are also monitoring Raphinha’s situation. The likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the Brazilian but the player’s agent, Deco, is trying to block offers coming from these Premier League clubs.
Liverpool have been eyeing Raphinha as a potential replacement for Sadio Mane, who is headed for Bayern Munich this summer. Chelsea, who are planning a revamp of their attack, have also set their sights on the 25-year-old, interestingly, as a possible alternative for Barcelona contract rebel Ousmane Dembele.
Manchester United, too, have been credited with an interest in Raphinha. Most recently, Arsenal have been linked with a move for the winger. They are reportedly closing in on a deal for the Brazilian, with claims emerging they are ready to match Leeds’ €50 million valuation. The Gunners have also offered better terms to the player than Barcelona and are hoping that the deal can be completed this week.
However, Barcelona are now ramping up their efforts to sign the Brazilian. And with the player’s keenness to move to Camp Nou, a transfer to Spain could be the likeliest outcome of this saga.
