Chelsea Still In Interested In Signing FC Barcelona’s Raphinha

Premier League giants Chelsea haven’t given up on possibly signing FC Barcelona winger Raphinha one day, according to a report.

The west Londoners reportedly made a £55mn ($68mn) bid for the Brazilian when he was still at Leeds United last year, which was accepted by the Yorkshiremen.

With Barca club legend Deco representing him, however, the 26-year-old refused to head south to the UK capital and wished to wait until the Catalans came in for him.

They could finally do this once they activated one of their ‘economic levers’, and signed Raphinha for a fee reported to hover around the €60mn ($65mn) mark.

Six months or so later, however, Raphinha has had trouble adapting to life at Camp Nou. His return of four goals and seven assists would be deemed a success for most players, but many feel that his displays are not up to par.

With Deco reportedly told that his client must up his game, it has similarly been claimed by SPORT that Chelsea have not lost interest in the Porto Alegre native who has proven he has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

With Dembele injured for at least five weeks due to a hamstring knock, there is an opening for Raphinha, and Ferran Torres, to take a step forward and show that Xavi Hernandez can count on him to lead the wide channels.

If he fails to do this, however, perhaps Barca should listen to what Chelsea have to say. This would be done amid the Catalans having to reportedly shed a whopping €200mn ($217mn) from their wage bill to meet Financial Fair Play regulations next term.

With a sale, Barca would get rid of Raphinha’s salary and also have money to make an approach for Vitor Roque, who will cost a rumored €30mn ($32.5mn) from Athletico Paranaense.

Letting Raphinha out on loan could also be an option for president Joan Laporta and his board. The deal could come with a non-obligational option to buy, with Raphinha possibly showing at Chelsea that he still has what attracted a litany of clubs vying for his services in the first place.