Chelsea and Newcastle United want to open formal negotiations in the coming months to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha in the summer transfer window, as per Sport.
Raphinha – who joined in the summer transfer window from Leeds United for a fee of around £50m – is likely to be sacrificed by the club as their struggle with finances continues.
Sport claim that Raphinha is almost certain to move to the Premier League again. He is one of the bankable assets for Barcelona, and the club look to offload him should they receive a fee of around £70m.
Raphinha has already received inquiries about his possible departure. Initially, he was reluctant to leave, but Sport add that the Brazilian has changed his mind and he is now prepared to move elsewhere.
Both Chelsea and Newcastle are ready to open talks over the move immediately. Barcelona are looking to negotiate a deal for the winger with the aim of getting maximum profit.
The former Leeds United winger has managed eight goals and nine assists in all competitions this season for the Blaugrana.
Raphinha: should he move to Chelsea or Newcastle?
It seems the Brazilian has more or less decided that his time is up at Camp Nou despite a decent first season. He is set to win the La Liga title with Barcelona this season, but he would have definitely hoped to continue at the club for long years.
There are suggestions that Xavi Hernandez prefers Ousmane Dembele over him. He got an extended run in the side due to Dembele’s injury, but Raphinha probably understands that he won’t start regularly when the Frenchman returns.
Barcelona are also trying to bring Lionel Messi back to the club and Raphinha’s departure would pave the way for the Argentine’s arrival.
Chelsea will be looking to make drastic changes to their squad next summer under a new manager, and Raphinha could be seen as one of the key players for the new project.
Newcastle, on the other hand, can offer Raphinha Champions League football if they finish in the top four this season, which could tempt him to move to Tyneside.
