Barcelona, Raphinha 'at odds over summer transfer'

Barcelona and Raphinha are allegedly at odds over the long-term future of the winger at Camp Nou.

When the winger left Leeds United for Barcelona in a £50m deal in 2022, it was under the premise that he would remain as a key player for the Catalan giants in the long term.

Raphinha was also realising a childhood dream, rejecting a transfer to Chelsea in the process, yet it is unclear whether he will stay at Barcelona.

In terms of numbers, the 27-year-old's time at the club can be regarded as a success, with a total of 16 goals and 22 assists coming from 79 appearances, many of which have been from the substitutes' bench.

He also featured in all but two of Barcelona's fixtures during their 2022-23 La Liga title-winning campaign, and is already close to bettering that effort from fewer minutes this season.

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During 1,057 minutes of football in Spain's top flight since the middle of August, Raphinha has posted five goals and seven assists, one of the best returns in terms of contributions per minute.

Nevertheless, it has been well documented that the Brazil international may not be retained in the first-team squad in the long term due to off-the-pitch matters.

Barcelona's need to make substantial cutbacks during the summer in order to meet their reduced La Liga salary cap has put Raphinha's future in doubt.

However, club officials are not necessarily prepared to sell any of their stars for the right price, creating a situation where valuable players who possess a high valuation could be made available.

That is where Raphinha comes into the equation, with the playmaker also at the age of 27 where his resale value will decrease the further that he goes into his current contract.

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Barcelona's sporting director Deco has history of representing Raphinha prior to taking on that role, yet Sport suggests that there are still plans for the Spanish giants to keep him on the market.

The report claims that Raphinha is against that stance, currently being unwilling to entertain a transfer elsewhere, which would likely be back to the Premier League.

That said, it was recently indicated that the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur could have to battle Saudi Pro League clubs for his signature.

While Raphinha scored the decisive goal against Las Palmas at the weekend, the report says that his lack of notable impacts in bigger games is also counting against him.