Barcelona are about to bring in Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig which means players like Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong, Kounde and a few others are going to be shown the door in the next couple of weeks.
High-value players like FDJ and Ronald Araujo have already been linked with multiple clubs but there’s a fairly good chance that Raphinha will be the first one to leave.
Premier League side Arsenal are really keen to sign the winger as they are willing to spend around €50 million. However, per the latest reports in Spain, as quoted by Football 365, Newcastle United have already made a slightly better offer.
The rumours are suggesting that NUFC have made a move worth €52 million including add-ons and their hierarchy feels Barcelona are going to accept this proposal.
Will Barca sell Raphinha to Newcastle or will they wait for Arsenal?
It’s being claimed that while Barcelona do need funds they are not going to accept Newcastle’s current offer because they want at least €60 million for Raphinha.
Arsenal might be ready to spend €50 million on the Brazilian international but we highly doubt if Mikel Arteta and Edu will want to pay €10 million more. They already have a top-quality right-winger in the form of Bukayo Saka so it makes little sense to spend €60 million on a player for the same position.
Also, despite the lure of Champions League football, convincing Raphinha to join them will be a tough ask because at the Emirates he will not have guaranteed starts time next season.
Now, talking about Newcastle United, while they have already brought in a few players like Lewis Hall, Odysseas Vlachodimos and Lloyd Kelly, Eddie Howee would love to have a player of Raphinha’s quality on board.
Raphinha does not want to leave Barcelona because he is perfectly happy at Camp Nou but if he does have to exit then a move back to the Premier League will make a lot of sense.
Barcelona will never agree to sell Raphinha for a fee of around €50 million so if Newcastle United or Arsenal are really interested in signing Raphinha then they will have to up the stakes or shift to a different target.
