- 13 hours ago
Barcelona reject €60m Raphinha bid from Premier League club
Barcelona have turned down a €60 million off for winger Raphinha from a Premier League club, with Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in the Brazil international.
Raphinha was left on the bench on Sunday as Barca rounded off their LaLiga season with a 2-1 win over Sevilla in what was Xavi’s final match in charge of the club.
He played 37 times this season, scoring 10 goals and creating 13 more. The 27-year-old was notably used in Barca’s clutch matches, scoring three times in two games against PSG in the Champions League and producing an assist in the most recent Clasico.
READ MORE: Barcelona 'dream' of signing Liverpool star as Raphinha replacement
Barcelona’s financial position, though, means that he could potentially be sold in the summer.
TodoFichajes reports that the Blaugrana have fielded a €60m bid from the Premier League for Raphinha, yet it has been turned down because it does not match the club’s asking price of €80m.
Retaining the player is said to be a “priority” for incoming manager Hansi Flick.
Although the identity of the club to be knocked back is unclear, Aston Villa and Chelsea are the two teams said to be “fishing” for Raphinha, with Manchester United “drifting” as they continue to “lack a clear roadmap” for the summer.
READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals
Kimmich deal stalls
The prospect of Joshua Kimmich leaving Bayern Munich to sign for Barcelona continues to shrink.
Sport reports that talks have stalled over the player’s contract demands. While Kimmich is said to want an annual salary of €19.5m, this is a figure that Barca simply cannot afford to pay their leading stars in their current financial problems.
Flick has a complicated relationship with the versatile defender from their time working together at the Germany national team, while he also played under the 59-year-old at Bayern.
Kimmich’s situation needs resolved by FCB, with the defender under contract until 2025. His frosty relationship with head coach Thomas Tuchel is not helping matters, however.