Chelsea still want Barcelona winger they missed out on last summer

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 13 Apr 2023 13:00 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have not given up hope of signing Raphinha, despite missing out on the winger to Barcelona only last summer.

Then of Leeds, Raphinha was pursued by Chelsea and Arsenal before ultimately swapping Elland Road for the Camp Nou, joining Barca in a €58m deal.

After a somewhat bumpy start to his Barca, the 26-year-old has come to shine for Xavi’s side, helping them close in on the club’s first La Liga title in four years.

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But despite Raphinha seeming increasingly settled in Catalonia, Chelsea are still keen to bring him to Stamford Bridge – according to Barcelona-based outlet SPORT.

And, while Raphinha is said to have no intention of leaving, he could become an emergency sale option for Barca – who, amid their continuing financial struggles, need to raise €150m in player sales to comply with La Liga financial fair play (FFP) rules.

The Brazilian international is currently valued by our Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model at €48.2m (£42.4m) – pocket change to Chelsea by comparison to some of the eye-watering amounts they shelled out during their lavish January spending spree.

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Chelsea to keep splashing the cash?

In a winter transfer window which saw them spend more than the rest of the clubs in Europe’s top five leagues combined, Chelsea’s outlay came to roughly €366m (£323m) – including a British-record €121m (£106.5m) to lure Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.

Such cash-splashing has raised doubts about the Blues’ potential ability to comply with Premier League and UEFA FFP regulations, but they continue to be linked with big names left, right and centre.

Raphinha has made 40 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions so far, scoring nine goals – including the winners in vital 1-0 league victories over Valencia and Athletic Bilbao last month – and assisting a further nine.