The Raphinha saga has finally come to an end after months of conjecture. With Leeds United staying up in the Premier League on the final matchday, there was extreme interest in signing the flashy Brazilian winger. Premier League clubs Chelsea and Arsenal had him on his radar for quite a while but Barcelona eventually won the race to his signing.
Much like many young forwards growing up in Brazil, Raphinha has always maintained Barcelona as his dream club and was inspired by his idol Ronaldinho’s success in Spain. He has had personal terms agreed with the Spanish giants since March 2022.
Chelsea had taken the lead to sign the 25-year-old a few weeks ago as they had matched the valuation of 60 million pounds that Leeds United were demanding for the player. However, Raphinha continued to insist on a move to Barcelona and along with his agent, Deco, who is also a former Barcelona player, pressurised the club to only negotiate with Barcelona.
A standoff arose in the deal but following meetings between Deco and the club’s top executives, Barcelona eventually improved their offer. The final agreement was concluded at 55 million euros with a further eight million in add-ons, taking the entire package to somewhere between 60 and 65 million euros.
Barcelona officially announced the deal on Wednesday. “FC Barcelona and Leeds United Football Club have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Raphael Dias Belloli, Raphinha, pending the player passing his medical.”
The player also arrived to the city yesterday and underwent his medicals before sharing a few words with Barcelona fans via social media. “This is a dream come true for me, not just for me also my friends and family,” he said.
“They’ve seen me playing since I was a kid. They knew this was a dream of mine to come here. All I can do now is give my best and try to help Barca be what it’s always been.”
“What I can say about myself is that I’m very excited to win. I like to win, any time I lose it’s very difficult to accept,” he added.
Raphinha becomes the third signing for Barcelona this season after Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen were signed as free agents. Ousmane Dembele has also decided to extend his contract with the club which will be officially announced soon and head coach Xavi will have enough resources on the wings.
Meanwhile, Barcelona continue to be hot on the heels of wantaway Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski as well as Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
