Newcastle United have reportedly offered Barcelona a whopping €80 million to sign quicksilver forward Raphinha.
Sport’s journalist Gerard Romero insists the Magpies are keen to bring the Brazilian back to the Premier League.
Raphinha swapped Leeds United for Spotify Camp Nou last summer for a reported fee of €55m, but he could be on the verge of returning to English football.
Despite excelling in his first season in La Liga and playing a prominent role in helping Barcelona march towards what will be their first league title since 2018/19, the 26-year-old’s future at the club is in doubt.
It’s not like the Blaugrana are keen to shift Raphinha’s substantial wages off their books, but their pursuit of wantaway Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi could force their hand.
After finding themselves in a Financial Fair Play deadlock with La Liga, they will have to offload several first-team figures to accommodate the Argentine’s return to Catalunya.
While Raphinha wasn’t on the chopping block initially, Newcastle’s tempting offer could accelerate his premature departure to help Barcelona balance the books.
The ex-Leeds winger has racked up seven goals and six assists in 31 La Liga appearances this term, attracting intention from Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.
Howe’s men are on the cusp of landing a long-awaited top-four finish in the Premier League, meaning they could bring the lure of Champions League football to the table in discussions with Raphinha.
Let’s not forget the Brazil international turned down Chelsea’s bid to extend his Premier League stay last year in favour of fulfilling his dream to play for Barcelona.
That could throw a spanner in the works, as not even a truckload of money may not be enough to convince the left-footed forward to cut his ties with the Catalan powerhouse.
