Newcastle United may be given their chance to sign Raphinha from Barcelona this summer, with a €50m offer enough to convince the Catalans to sell.
That’s according to AS, who say that Barcelona would be willing to do a deal for the Brazilian as it would help them bring Lionel Messi back to the club.
Raphinha has endured something of an up and down year at the Camp Nou following a big move from Leeds United last summer after a few years of shining at Elland Road.
While his performances on the pitch have not been lacking, per se, he has struggled to establish himself in Xavi’s team and replace Ousmane Dembele when the Frenchman is fit.
That has left him as something of an expensive problem for the club and someone who has ‘generated debate’ ahead of the summer transfer window.
At the moment Barcelona have ‘publicly declared’ that he is untransferable, but the reality is different among the board of directors.
They desperately need money to come into the club so would be willing to sell Raphinha ‘if there is a good offer’ for him this summer.
Their hope is that one of the ‘wealthy’ sides in the Premier League will make a move and present an ‘off-market’ offer for the forward, with his current valuation at €50m. Newcastle are certainly among those with the funds to do so.
And they’ve been linked with a move for Raphinha too, with a recent report indicating that Newcastle’s owners want to ‘spare no expense’ to get the Brazilian to St James Park.
That would play into Barcelona’s hands as they would use the money, which would be an ‘emergency lever’, to fulfil the viability plan they’ve presented to La Liga, which includes Messi’s return.
At the moment Raphinha isn’t pushing for an exit but does feel he is not fully trusted by the club and that could ‘push him’ to make his way back to the Premier League after a year away. ‘His case is open’ as far as Sport are concerned.
