Ken RussoRaphinha could make a comeback to the Premier League with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur interested in signing him.
Raphinha was on Leeds United’s books before joining FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022 for a fee of around €58 million. Since securing a dream move to the Camp Nou, the winger has been fairly impactful as last season, he scored and assisted 28 goals in 56 appearances across all competitions.
However, he’s failed to recreate his stellar form from the Elland Road days which is why the Blaugranas are now willing to get rid of him if a club is ready to pay around €70 million for him.
Barcelona are ready to send Raphinha to Spurs in an exchange deal for Cristian Romero while Liverpool are ready to offer Luiz Diaz in a swap deal for the Brazilian international. The winger knows that his dream move to Spain has not worked out perfectly so a return to a familiar league won’t be a bad option to revive his fortunes.
Will Raphinha return to the Premier League next year?
A move out of Spain during the January window looks highly unlikely and even in the summer, we don’t see someone paying €70 million for the 26-year-old.
He’s someone who’s not been a super success under Xavi plus he’s not versatile at all because apart from the right wing, Raphinha cannot operate anywhere else in the final third.
However, with Mo Salah poised to leave in the summer, Raphinha can be the ideal replacement for the Egyptian international and because Klopp has left-wingers like Gakpo and Diogo Jota, he won’t mind letting Luiz Diaz move to Barcelona.
Tottenham would love to bring in Raphinha as well but there’s no way their new manager will let Romero leave the club anytime soon. Xavi’s interest in Romero is justified but the only way Barcelona bring in the central defender is by fending off Real Madrid’s interest and then paying a huge transfer fee.
As things stand, Liverpool look likelier to sign Raphinha at the end of this season but a swap deal is the only solution because Klopp will need money to strengthen several other positions in his squad as well.
