Raphinha completed his dream move to Barcelona in the summer of 2020 and now in his second season at The Nou Camp, it is fair to say he has plenty of supporters – but plenty of critics, as well.
The 27-year-old starred for Leeds in the two seasons he was at the club, having a hand in 29 goals in his 67 Leeds games. That form for us, and for Brazil, earned him a £55m move to the iconic Barcelona.
A move that Raphinha always wanted – to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian icons Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and more. The 19-time Brazil star has since had a hand in 33 goals, in his 70 Barcelona appearances.
But, it has not all been plain sailing. Despite the stats, which look good, there has been critics for the Leeds hero. Deco was his agent at the time of the move, and is now sporting director at The Nou Camp.
The Barcelona chief told Spanish media – as quoted by Fabrizio Romano – as saying that Arsenal and Chelsea had made bigger offers for Raphinha. And that he had never offered Raphinha to the Spaniards.
“Arsenal and Chelsea wanted to sign Raphinha. They were both offering way more than Barça. It was Jordi Cruyff who asked me about Raphinha for the first time. I never offered Raphinha to Barça,” he said.
Deco says Arsenal and Chelsea offered Leeds more for Raphinha
Leeds, who remained in the Premier League the season prior to the summer in which we sold Raphinha, would have been desperate to sell to a foreign side – not a Premier League team. To avoid playing him.
Perhaps, that is the reason why a move to Barcelona went through – even, for a less fee. Raphinha will have wanted Barcelona over Arsenal and Chelsea. It is likely he could return to England at some point.
Recently, it was claimed in Spanish media that Tottenham had tabled a fee of £60m to land the former Sporting Lisbon and Rennes attacker. He could want a crack at the top end of the Premier League.
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