FC Barcelona Reportedly Receive Offer From Saudi Arabia For Raphinha

FC Barcelona have received an offer from Saudi Arabia for their winger Raphinha according to Mundo Deportivo collaborator Achraf Ben Ayad.

Ben Ayad tweeted the news to his 3.5 million followers on Tuesday evening, which comes after he reported how Raphinha was attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League less than a fortnight ago.

Saudi Arabia’s football clubs have money to burn, with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) which also owns Premier League giants Newcastle United recently assuming control of Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.

While Al-Hilal failed to lure Lionel Messi when he was close to becoming a free agent, offering the Inter Miami-bound World Cup winner a reported €500 million ($550 million) a year to continue his career in Saudi Arabia, the other mentioned clubs have been successful in landing the likes of Messi’s generational rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema.

If an alleged offer for Raphinha comes from one of the four mentioned outfits, the development follows on from the PIF registering their interest in signing the Brazilian for Newcastle earlier this year.

Newcastle, who have already qualified for the Champions League in less than two years of Saudi ownership, were reported by Mundo Deportivo as being prepared to pay €80 million ($88 million) for Raphinha though nothing concrete came of it.

If the Saudis really have made a move for the 26-year-old now then, they would have to match that mentioned amount or even exceed it to head to the negotiation table with Barca.

Barca paid £55 million ($71 million) to Leeds United for the winger just under a year ago, and would be keen to recoup their outlay on him if there was a sale.

Raphinha experienced a rocky first season at Camp Nou with some downturns in form, but his double figures in both goals and assists were promising as the Catalans won La Liga for the first time in four years.

There have been reports that the Blaugrana will look to sell him to balance Financial Fair Play limits and bring in fresh faces, but the player and his coach Xavi Hernandez wish to continue working together.

“No, Raphinha is a very important footballer for me,” Xavi recently told Mundo Deportivo when asked about his number 22’s future. “No, no. Raphinha, if it’s up to me, stays at Barca and is going to help us a lot.”

At the end of the day, though, it isn’t up to Xavi and instead president Joan Laporta.

If there is a chance to offload Raphinha and also make a profit too, Laporta might be tempted to hear what the Saudis have to say.

Ultimately, though, were the offer attractive and Laporta accepted it, Raphinha is under no obligation to up sticks to the Middle East.

With a contract until 2027, he can stay to fight with Ousmane Dembele for his place and continue living what he previously described as a “dream” in Catalonia after snubbing Premier League giants Chelsea last year.