London giants Chelsea are reportedly the front-runners to sign Raphinha from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by SPORT, as relayed by Sport Witness, Raphinha is the subject of interest from Chelsea. And the Blues are above every other suitor in the race to sign the Brazilian winger, whose market value is €50 million, from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
Raphinha has overcome a few difficult weeks to become a pivotal figure for Barcelona. The 26-year-old secured a dream move to join Barcelona from Leeds United last summer. And he snubbed interest from Arsenal and Chelsea to complete the transfer.
The Brazilian international had a few teething problems at Spotify Camp Nou, especially midway through the campaign. But he has turned around his fortunes spectacularly in the last few months and has a solid tally of ten goals and 12 assists in 49 appearances. But despite the turnaround, Raphinha’s Barcelona future is uncertain.
Barcelona will attempt to re-sign Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window. But they need to balance the books to secure the Argentine international’s services. And Raphinha’s sale will be one of the avenues to raise the money as he has a high market value of €50 million. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s asking price will be much higher than that.
The player does not have a shortage of suitors either, with Chelsea among the clubs keen on signing him. But the Blues’ interest in the Brazilian international is surprising, considering they will not sell Raheem Sterling or Mykhailo Mudryk this summer. So it is unclear how Raphinha will fit into the scheme of things at Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Deco is reportedly pushing Raphinha to join a Premier League club this summer. And Chelsea will likely face competition from Arsenal and Newcastle United in the race to sign the 26-year-old. But the report claims that the Blues are above every other suitor in the race to sign the Barcelona winger.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea can fend off the competition to secure Raphinha’s services this summer. But the player is reportedly uninterested in leaving Barcelona, meaning a deal might not see the light of day.
