Newcastle United have been pushed forward as the contender for Barcelona’s Raphinha by the Spanish media in the last few weeks.
After Mundo Deportivo talked about the Magpies’ interest last month, journalist Gerard Romero reported on Wednesday that Eddie Howe’s side have verbally communicated to the La Liga side they will offer €80m for the winger.
It was also explained the 26-year-old has been identified as the ‘priority’ target for Newcastle in the summer, and the Tyneside club seem to have received encouragement in their pursuit of Raphinha, if a report from Sport is to be believed.
Earlier this week, the La Liga side announced their sporting director Mateu Alemany will leave the Camp Nou on June 30th, even though he has a deal until 2024.
The Catalan newspaper now looks at the tasks he has to complete before ending his time with the Blaugrana. The Brazil international is included in the list of players who could be used to raise funds in the summer, to improve the club’s economic conditions.
Therefore, Barcelona ‘will listen’ to offers they will receive for Raphinha and a few other players. Sport state Alemany’s biggest challenge is to carry out sales before he leaves the club in June, and this is clearly a boost for Newcastle if they are strongly interested in the winger for next season.
