Barcelona winger Raphinha has rubbished speculation surrounding his long-term future amid interest from Chelsea.
During a recent conversation with Spanish media, as relayed by 90min, Raphinha has had his say on his Barcelona future. The Brazilian winger, whose market value is €50 million, has insisted that he is not going anywhere amid interest from Chelsea. And he added that speculation surrounding him is a lie and unprofessional.
The Barcelona winger said, “This is a lie and whoever said that is a liar, uninformed and unprofessional.”
Raphinha achieved his lifelong dream when he joined Barcelona from Leeds United last summer. The 26-year-old was highly sought-after after guiding the Whites to safety in the 2021/22 season. And clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea subsequently chased him before Barcelona secured his services.
The Brazilian international started his Barcelona stint strongly but hit a lull midway through the campaign. But he has recovered strongly to become a pivotal figure for the Blaugrana. And the player has a solid tally of ten goals and 11 assists in 45 appearances thus far this term. Meanwhile, his market value has risen to €50 million. But recent reports have speculated about Raphinha’s future, with Chelsea among his prospective suitors.
Raphinha has replied to the news of him giving the green light to leave Barcelona in the summer ⤵️
“Fake news. Who shared that news is not well informed & not professional”. 🔵🔴🇧🇷 #FCB pic.twitter.com/uE07tkAoUU
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 10, 2023
Chelsea’s continued interest in the Barcelona winger is somewhat perplexing after they spent heavily on wingers in the last two transfer windows. Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke arrived at Stamford Bridge in the past 12 months. In addition, the Chelsea first-team squad also has other wide attackers like Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.
So it is unclear how Chelsea can accommodate the 26-year-old without offloading a few wingers. Nonetheless, the Blues are keen on signing the Barcelona attacker in the summer transfer window. And recent reports have claimed that Raphinha’s agent, Deco, is pushing him to return to the Premier League.
Barcelona will look to balance the books by parting ways with the Brazilian international in the summer transfer window. And they have slapped a price tag worth €80 million on Raphinha’s head. And Chelsea should be in a strong-enough position to sign the former Leeds United talisman.
But Raphinha clearly does not wish to end his Barcelona stint anytime soon. And following his recent comments, it will be interesting to see if the Catalan giants still look to part ways with him in the summer transfer window.
