Ousmane Dembele’s stellar run in the first part of the season left little spotlight for Raphinha. The Brazilian winger often found himself either on the bench or starting in the uncomfortable left-wing position.
When Dembele was announced to be injured, the world’s eyes turned to the South American star. The former Leeds United man finally had the chance to prove his worth to Xavi Hernandez, and boy has he taken the chance.
The 26-year-old has scored five goals and provided four assists in his last 13 games across all competitions, establishing himself as a regular starter. While he may not have the same dribbling skill as his French counterpart, his goalscoring instinct has won Barcelona many a game.
According to reports from SPORT, both Chelsea and Newcastle United are attentive to Raphinha’s situation in Spain and hope to steal him in the summer.
Joan Laporta pointed out earlier this month that the Catalans are under pressure to make sales in the summer. The club need to bring in at least €150 million in June, and Raphinha is seen as a possible candidate to sacrifice.
It would appear ridiculous for Barcelona to part ways with a well-performing player just one season into his spell at Spotify Camp Nou. At the same time, there is a realisation that the Brazilian is one with one of the biggest markets and price tags.
Chelsea were heavily interested in the Brazilian’s signing last summer when he was set to depart Leeds United. However, the player’s desire to don the Blaugrana colours pushed through a move to Barcelona.
Come June, it remains to be seen as to which players Xavi Hernandez deems saleable. Some sources report that Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres find themselves well-placed to be the players to leave while others insist that a single big-money departure such as Raphinha or Frenkie de Jong would be necessary.
