At a glance
- FC Barcelona know that they will receive a €90 million bid for Raphinha from Saudi Arabia.
- Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick’s agent Pini Zahavi will handle the offer.
- The Brazilian doesn’t want to leave Barcelona this summer, however.
FC Barcelona know that they will receive a €90 million offer for Raphinha from the Saudi Pro League this summer, with Robert Lewandoski‘s agent and close Joan Laporta confidant Pini Zahavi set to handle the offer according to Sky Sports and SPORT.
Raphinha is going through somewhat of a turbulent time at the moment. Injured on international duty with Brazil against France, he missed both legs of Barca’s 3-2 Champions League quarterfinal aggregate defeat to Atletico Madrid as a consequence.
This was especially damaging considering Raphinha was just returning to his best following an identical knock. He’s since returned to a Hansi Flick squad list for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Osasuna, but his time away from the pitch brought with it a moment of reflection as reported by SPORT.
The club knows that Raphinha has been thinking about the future and want him to stay. At the same time, however, Saudi Arabia is lurking in the background with an offer that would go a long way to helping the Blaugrana land its transfer targets.
Those are namely Julian Alvarez and Alessandro Bastoni, who could cost a combined €200 million that a Barca trying to return to 1:1 under Financial Fair Play limits will struggle to raise.
Raphinha is still expected to stay at FC Barcelona
Though that could change in the future, Raphinha wants to stay at Barca as things stand with an objective of winning the Champions League and possibly the Ballon d’Or.
His contract running until 2028 means he’s under no obligation to go anywhere. And as a show of loyalty to the club, it’s likely he’ll extend those terms after another strong campaign so that Saudi Arabia doesn’t pick him up for free.
At 29, Raphinha should be at his peak despite his recent injuries. He could still command a generous transfer fee from the Saudis heading towards the end of the decade, and selling him now to cash in wouldn’t be a wise move either.
Though Fermin Lopez and Gavi have shown themselves to be capable of operating on the left wing, nobody including Marcus Rashford stepped in as a pure left winger during his absence.
Barca have been linked to reinforcements in that area of the pitch. Yet none of the earmarked options boast the world class pedigree of fan favourite Raphinha.
