According to a report by Football365, Premier League side Arsenal are set to make a €40 million move for Barcelona winger Raphinha.
Arsenal along with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are the three big names who have been linked with the Brazilian international and it looks like the Gunners are about to set the ball rolling in terms of landing him.
Barcelona had paid around €58 million to sign Raphinha from Leeds United but their financial duress is now forcing them to offload the 27-year-old during the ongoing transfer window. Barca will need to raise at least €100 million in the summer and Raphinha is one of the first names that is going to be sacrificed with a valuation of €50 million.
Will Barcelona accept Arsenal’s offer for Raphinha?
Given his current market value, the Gunners have made a pretty reasonable offer but it’s highly unlikely that the Catalans are going to accept this offer.
Firstly, apart from Arsenal, Chelsea are also interested in signing Raphinha and the Blues certainly won’t mind paying a lot more than their London rivals. The left wing needs to be strengthened and Boehly won’t mind paying €60-65 million for an experienced player like Raphinha.
Secondly, apart from these two Premier League clubs, a Saudi club is also interested in the winger and according to a report by Mundo Deportivo, that club is willing to pay as much as €100 million. If this estimate is correct then Barcelona will make a major profit and keeping that in mind, the La Liga side should be ready to keep both Chelsea and Arsenal hanging.
Tottenham Hotspur have also been named as one of the suitors but currently, they are at the bottom of the pecking order. Daniel Levy will be able to match Barcelona’s initial demands but the Lilywhites won’t be able to offer him top-tier European football next season.
If Raphinha has to leave Camp Nou, a move back to the Premier League will be very tempting given that he spent two years with Leeds United but several big-name players have opted to move to the Middle East recently thanks to the lucrative salary they have been offering and the Barcelona winger could be the next one in line.
