FC Barcelona Want To Sell Raphinha For ‘Lack Of Professionalism’ Following Poor Display In El Clasico: Reports

FC Barcelona wish to sell Raphinha for a “lack of professionalism and camaraderie” following a poor performance against Real Madrid in El Clasico on Wednesday, El Nacional has reported.

The Brazilian was brought off after 66 minutes in the eventual 4-0 semi-final second leg loss to the Catalans’ bitter rivals, which dumped them out of the Copa del Rey and ended hopes of a domestic trouble.

Raphinha started the tie high on confidence after a string of strong displays as of late. On the right wing, however, he regularly failed to get the better of makeshift left back Eduardo Camavinga and was singled out by SPORT as one of the guilty parties for Barca’s heaviest home loss to Los Blancos in 60 years.

SPORT argued that a Barca forward “must contribute more in a life or death Clasico”, but it is not just
just
his widely-deemed poor performance in the last four clash that has president Joan Laporta prepared to sell the 26-year-old according to El Nacional.

The Catalan digital newspaper reports that Raphinha’s tantrum when brought off against Manchester United in February hasn’t been forgotten, and has been viewed as a lack of professionalism and respect for his teammates.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Raphinha injured his foot when kicking a drinks refrigerator in the melee and was subsequently overlooked by coach Xavi Hernandez.

Instead of punishing the winger beyond temporarily dropping him for Ferran Torres, however, Xavi persisted with Raphinha and gave him new chances to prove himself.

Raphinha has done this to some extent against lesser foes, but his display at Camp Nou this week has led to suggestions from many fans that the player is neither Barca quality nor worthy of the £49 million ($61 million) transfer fee paid to Leeds United for his services last summer.

El Nacional reports that the club are “already clear” that Raphinha “will never succeed” in Catalonia, meaning that the “best thing is to get rid of him”.

The player has a market in the Premier League among the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Arsenal. If either of these parties table an offer close to €50 million ($54.5 million), Raphinha will reportedly be made to pack his bags after just a single season in La Liga.

Selling Raphinha would help Barca with their most pressing financial issue, in that they need to shed €200 million ($218 million) from the wage bill ahead of 2023/2024.

As was evident in last night’s shock loss, however, Barca are short-staffed and can be left threadbare if players such as Ousmane Dembele are injured.

To this end, Barca may wish to use the money from Raphinha’s potential sale to go for Athletico Paranaense starlet Vitor Roque in Raphinha’s homeland.