Raphinha has regularly been linked with a move away from Barcelona since arriving at the club from Leeds United in 2022.
The winger spent two years at Elland Road and was instrumental in helping the Whites avoid relegation in the 2021/22 season.
His fine displays for Leeds attracted interest from a few Premier League sides. The 27-year-old snubbed them in favour of the Catalans, who paid €58m to Leeds.
Today’s edition of Sport has a report on the Brazil international, titled; ‘Raphinha gave up 100 kilos’ [€100m].
Within the report, it’s explained Al-Hilal offered around €100m included bonuses in the summer window. Barca have already amortised €23.2m of the €58m they paid to Leeds. Therefore, the bid from Saudi Arabia was tempting for them.
The report says Al-Hilal also offered €100m net to the Brazil international, spread out over four years. He would have quadrupled his salary, but the former Leeds star turned it down.
There were rumours of Arsenal and Newcastle United’s interest. Sport say Raphinha would have rejected a move back to the Premier League in the last window, even if they made offers.
The South American wants to stay at Barca for sporting reasons. He has been using his spell at Leeds United as a foundation to build a successful career at the Camp Nou. Indeed, he was so comfortable at Leeds United that he recently said he struggled to adapt when moving to Barcelona.
