Barcelona are reportedly looking to sell Raphinha during the January transfer window, with Chelsea and Newcastle United interested.
Raphinha has had a mixed spell at Barcelona, and they are prepared to cash in on him. A report from Football Transfers has claimed that Chelsea and Newcastle United are keen on the Brazilian winger, and they can sign him for a fee of around €70 million.
The former Leeds United winger certainly played his best football in the Premier League with the Whites. So, the opportunity to return to England could be an attractive proposition for him, as was reportedly the case in the summer.
He would have expected to establish himself as a pivotal figure for Barcelona. But things have not gone according to plan for him. Although he has impressed at times, he has not been able to perform at a high level consistently.
It is hardly a surprise that Barcelona are looking to sell the player in January. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea and Newcastle United are prepared to come forward with an offer that satisfies their €70 million.
Chelsea could certainly use more sharpness in their attack, and Raphinha will add creativity, flair and vision to the side. He will help create goalscoring opportunities for someone like Nicolas Jackson, and he is versatile enough to operate on either flank as well.
The Brazilian knows the Premier League well, and he should be able to settle in quickly and make an immediate impact as well. As far as Newcastle United are concerned, they have been missing a top-class winger since the departure of Allan Saint-Maximin, and Raphinha would be a superb acquisition. He will add creativity and goals to the Newcastle attack.
The reported €70 million asking price is affordable for both clubs and it will be interesting to see where he ends up. Newcastle might be able to offer him UEFA Champions League football during the second half of the campaign, which could give them an edge in the transfer race.
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That said, Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world, and the opportunity to join them can be hard to turn down. In addition to that, they have a top-class coach like Mauricio Pochettino at their disposal and the Argentine could play a key role in convincing the player to move to Stamford Bridge.
