EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham drop Toney interest to launch Raphinha bid

Steve Kay

17 Nov 2023 08:00 CST
3 min read

Raphinha, Barcelona, 2023/24 — © ProShots

Tottenham Hotspur have a concrete interest in Barcelona winger Raphinha ahead of the January transfer window, with Spurs having dropped their desire to sign Ivan Toney, FootballTransfers has been told.

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Barca have put a €70 million asking price on the head of the 26-year-old Brazil international and will allow him to leave if a club stumps up that figure.

Arsenal and Newcastle have been linked with the player in the past, but after the Catalan side declared an asking price of €100m both were put off.

With that figure having dropped, a source close to the Spanish champions has indicated to FootballTransfers that Tottenham are now seeking the possibility of bringing the former Leeds United attacker back to the Premier League 18 months after he departed for LaLiga.

Spurs, meanwhile, may not have to foot the whole €70m bill for Raphinha as Barcelona are interested in a potential swap deal with defender Cristian Romero, although the belief is that Xavi’s side would prefer cash in order to ease their financial problems.

Spurs looking for forwards

Tottenham are certainly looking for offensive reinforcements, and though a centre-forward has been mooted to replace Harry Kane, manager Ange Postecoglou believes that Son Heung-min could perform in the No.9 role effectively until the end of the season.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney was the player Spurs wanted, but they have been put off by the asking price of their Premier League rivals.

© ProShots - Ivan Toney's price tag has put off Spurs

The London side are not entirely happy with the performances of either Richarlison or Brennan Johnson, who arrived in a big-money deal from Nottingham Forest during the summer, and are definitely searching for alternatives to give Postecoglou more offensive punch.

Raphinha is under contract at Barcelona until 2027 and FootballTransfers’ Player Valuation Model has given him an expected transfer value of €30.5m as his status at Camp Nou has fallen, suggesting that Tottenham have some hard negotiating to do in order to get this deal over the line.