Fabrizio Romano: FC Barcelona could scupper Chelsea FC's £60m deal for Raphinha
FC Barcelona could beat Chelsea FC to the signing of Raphinha, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano
FC Barcelona are in a strong position to beat Chelsea FC to the signing of Raphinha despite the London side putting together a stronger deal for the Leeds United star, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Brazil international has been linked with a move away from the West Yorkshire club this summer after Raphinha played a key role in helping Leeds to secure their top-flight status for another Premier League campaign.
Raphinha was thought to be attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs in the current transfer window but Chelsea FC have emerged as the English side with the most concrete interest in the South American playmaker.
The 25-year-old is also being courted by FC Barcelona as the Spanish side look to sign the Brazil international to improve their attacking options after missing out on the La Liga title to Real Madrid last term.
But the Catalan side have been contending with some significant financial issues since the Coronavirus impacted football in Europe so the Spanish side could struggle to match the financial mite of Chelsea FC.
Italian transfer expert Romano revealed that Chelsea FC have a £60m agreement with Leeds for Raphinha but the player has his heart set on a move to FC Barcelona rather than a switch to south west London.
“The Raphinha situation,” Romano told the Here We Go podcast.
“Barcelona are really pushing for Raphinha with his father and with Deco. They have an agreement on the player’s side since the end of February. The contract of Raphinha is ready. It’s a five-year deal. But Leeds have still not accepted Barcelona’s proposal. We will see what happens.
“This week will be important to understand if they can complete an agreement with Leeds. At the moment, Leeds still have an agreement with Chelsea since last week. It’s an agreement for £60m. Barcelona offered €50m plus €10m in add-ons.
“At the moment, Chelsea are still patient. Let’s see how long it will take for them to complete the negotiation or leave the negotiation. Raphinha is giving priority to Barcelona.”
Raphinha scored 11 times and made three assists in 35 games in the Premier League last term.
Leeds signed the Brazilian in a £17m deal from French side Rennes in 2020.
