Having swapped Leeds United for Barcelona in the summer, Raphinha’s time in Spain to date has been one mixed with ups and downs, to the point where Newcastle United are now being linked with him.
The player initially struggled to adapt to life at the La Liga giants, as he was played out of position by Xavi and found renewed competition from Ousmane Dembélé.
He then managed to find a spot for himself after some hard work, but that hasn’t stopped the criticism and the idea that a return to the Premier League could be on the cards, where Newcastle are supposedly waiting for him.
That’s according to Sport, who claim that the change of system put in place by the Barcelona manager is one Raphinha ‘does not like’.
They add that Newcastle have ‘Raphinha as one of the main goals’ for next summer, which would give the Magpies a ‘leap in quality’.
Whether that turns into something more down the line remains to be seen, but they will have to be convincing, as the player has made it clear that playing for his current club is one of his dreams, and he will have every intention of succeeding there rather than giving up after a year.
