According to a report from Achraf Ben Ayad, Barcelona have already received an offer for star winger Raphinha from Saudi Arabia.
It has only been a year since Raphinha arrived at Barcelona, joining from Leeds United in a deal worth €65 million, including add-ons. The winger made a slow start to life in Catalonia but stepped up in the second half of the campaign and became a vital part of the Blaugrana setup.
Indeed, the Brazilian played an important role in the Catalan giants’ La Liga triumph and ended his debut season with Barça with a return of ten goals and 12 assists from 50 matches across all competitions.
Despite his strong performances, reports of a potential departure for Raphinha have been doing the rounds over the past couple of months owing to Barcelona’s financial situation and the need to generate urgent revenue.
The 26-year-old has attracted interest from the Premier League and it now appears that he also has admirers in Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, as per the update from Achraf Ben Ayad, the Blaugrana have already received an offer from an unnamed club from the oil-rich nation for the Brazilian international.
While there may be a proposal on the table, it is unlikely that the La Liga champions will accept it. As iterated earlier, Raphinha, whose market value stands at €60 million, is a valued member of Xavi’s setup and the player himself has shown no desire to leave the club.
As such, unless the offer is a huge one, it is unlikely that Barcelona will look to part ways with Raphinha.
The same cannot be said for Franck Kessie, however, with the Ivorian midfielder also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia. In fact, the 26-year-old’s involvement in the pre-season tour of the United States of America is uncertain at this point due to his situation.
