Arsenal are reportedly closing in on a sensational €50 million deal for Leeds United winger Raphinha, also a target for Barcelona.
According to Goal, Arsenal have made significant progress in their pursuit of Leeds United winger Raphinha. The Gunners are closing in on the capture and can complete the signing as early as this week.
The Brazilian was reportedly among the transfer targets for Barcelona, who had been tracking the player for months leading up to the summer transfer window. In fact, the player had his heart set on a move to the Catalan giants, and it only seemed a matter of time for the 25-year-old to move to La Liga.
However, discussions between Leeds and Barcelona have died down in recent weeks. The Blaugrana wished to sign Raphinha as a replacement for Ousmane Dembele. While the Frenchman’s contract runs down this month, he is yet to find a new club for himself, and there has been no development on the renewal front either.
Barcelona were also hoping to get the Frenkie de Jong deal through, with Manchester United reportedly closing in on signing him, to be able to invest in new signings. The two clubs are yet to agree on a transfer fee, but Manchester United are reportedly confident of securing de Jong’s signature.
However, there is still no fixed time on the Dutchman’s transfer saga, and Raphinha and his entourage are not willing to wait that long. Moreover, Leeds have been asking for a transfer fee of around €50 million for the Brazilian attacker, and Barcelona are not ready to match that figure.
The Catalan giants were hoping to snap up Raphinha in the region of €25 million had Leeds suffered relegation. But with the Whites staying afloat in the Premier League and two years remaining on the player’s contract, they are in a good position to stay firm on their demands. Such a development has given Arsenal the impetus in his pursuit.
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Arsenal have swooped in and are close to completing the €50 million deal. The Gunners have reportedly offered better terms to Raphinha than Barcelona, and the player hopes to complete the move soon. The report claims that Barcelona ‘have disappeared’ from the negotiations for the 25-year-old, leaving Arsenal with a free run to sign the player. It will be interesting to see if a move to Arsenal indeed materialises for Raphinha.
