Sunday’s edition of Catalan newspaper Sport has Raphinha splashed across the front page, the second page and the third page.
The tone is almost celebratory and it’s claimed Barcelona have received an offer worth a total of €100m from Al-Hilal. According to the report, the Saudi club are said to have offered €80m as a fixed fee and a further €20m in potential bonuses.
As part of the big splash there’s a section on Newcastle United interest. It’s long been reported in the Catalan media that Eddie Howe’s side really like the Brazilian and would be ready to push through for his signing.
Barcelona haven’t been entirely sure what to do with Raphinha since they signed him. He’s criticised more than others, often unfairly, and doesn’t get the same praise as some of his teammates, despite often deserving it.
For a while, the player has been seen as a commodity for Barcelona to make some money from and that’s why there’s joy over the Saudi €100m.
They’d have likely been happy with something like €60m from Newcastle United, or potentially less, which makes it odd for Al-Hilal to go so high, but that’s been seen from Saudi sides previously.
Of course, should the move go through then it won’t be long until there’s reports of Raphinha then moving from Al-Hilal to Newcastle United, thanks to the Saudi connection.
