FC Barcelona Reject €70mn Arsenal Bid For Raphinha

FC Barcelona rejected an offer of €70mn ($75mn) for their winger Raphinha, according to a report.

The Brazilian joined Barca from Leeds United in the summer for a fee believed to be €58mn ($61.5mn) plus €7mn ($7.5mn) in variables.

The Yorkshire club had allegedly accepted a bid of £55mn ($66.3mn) from Chelsea first, but Raphinha dug his heels in and waited for Barca to activate an ‘economic lever’ that made his dream move possible.

Around the same time, however, Arsenal were also in the race. According to SPORT, the north Londoners presented a €70mn ($75mn) proposal for Raphinha in the recently closed winter market, which was rejected by the Catalans.

If accurate, this news shows that there is still a market for Raphinha in the Premier League despite his mixed fortunes at Camp Nou thus far.

The 26-year-old started well enough in Blaugrana, but then suffered a dip in form and appreciation from Culers despite putting in goals and assists numbers that most players would be praised for.

In Xavi’s re-jig to a system of four midfielders, there is only space for one pure winger which was Ousmane Dembele.

When the Frenchman became injured with a thigh knock away at Girona in January, though, this paved the way for the number ’22’ to make the role his own.

Raphinha responded to the challenge by notching three vital goals and two important assists in February alone. This tally includes the equalizer in a thrilling 2-2 draw last week, which means Barca go into their Europa League playoff second leg tie against Manchester United on Thursday all square and with everything to play for.

Despite his impressive display in the first meeting, however, where he also set up Marcos Alonso for his team’s opener, Raphinha could still be dropped at Old Trafford in favor of the MVP in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Cadiz, Ferran Torres.

This shows how delicate his lot is in La Liga, and should he again be cast to the sidelines when Dembele returns to action in March, Barca may entertain incoming offers for Raphinha’s transfer aware that they probably have to make a big player ahead of 2022/2023 to balance Financial Fair Play.

Xavi has continually backed his player, even when he threw a tantrum over being substituted in the United stalemate. But there have been reports that his agent Deco has been told by the club that Raphinha must improve or his situation will be reviewed at the end of a season he is likely to end with a La Liga winners’ medal.