Raphinha has been widely sought after this transfer window. Regardless of which club he joins, the key hours in determining his destination are approaching, according to Fabrizio Romano. Leeds United have a full agreement with Chelsea, pending approval from Raphinha. But that won’t stop Arsenal and Barcelona from keeping up their chase of the Brazilian, despite The Blues having the upper hand.
Raphinha Targeted By Top European Clubs
Raphinha deal, key hours ahead. 🚨🇧🇷 #Raphinha
▫️ Chelsea will have direct talk with his agent Deco today, waiting for an answer on personal terms;
▫️ Both Barcelona and Arsenal, trying until the end;
▫️ Leeds have full agreement with Chelsea, but also depends on player side. pic.twitter.com/ipt8JBo066— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 30, 2022
More Than One Option
It seemed Barcelona had led the race to sign Raphinha for a while. His agent Deco was said to have had an agreement with the club dating back to February this year, with Leeds having no plans of changing their £47 million price tag. However, the Catalan club’s current financial situation makes them unable to sign the Brazilian this summer.
Arsenal are in a similar situation. Tottenham Hotspur have prioritised Richarlison, meaning they’ve likely given up the hunt for Raphinha as it is understood that Spurs don’t wanna sign both Brazilians this summer.
It appears Chelsea are in the driving seat to sign Raphinha, even though the Brazilian is yet to sign the contract. The club is believed to be in talks with Leeds, accepting the price tag.
Read More: Chelsea Close to Agreeing Fee with Sought-After Raphinha
His Club Career So Far
Raphinha’s youth career started with Imbituba, where the club Avaí scouted him. Unfortunately, injuries denied him a senior debut for them.
In 2016, the defender made his first move abroad to Portuguese side Vitória Guimarães after being scouted by his current agent Deco. Here, Raphinha scored his first senior goal and won the Vitória Guimarães Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2017. Beyond merely scoring his first professional goal in the 2017/18 season, the Brazilian netted 18 times in 43 matches across all competitions.
It was only a matter of time before a bigger club came knocking on the door. Raphinha joined Sporting CP in 2018, where he enjoyed a respectable season. The attackers’ next destination was Rennes, who signed him for around £18 million- a record signing for the club. He enjoyed a good stint and was instrumental in earning them a spot in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League.
Read More: Every Premier League Transfer Completed in Summer 2022
Raphinha continued his trend of only staying at clubs for one season, joining Leeds in 2020. It was there the Brazilian experienced the greatest success of his career so far. He proved himself by scoring goals for a struggling club in a top league. Not an easy feat. Not to mention saving Leeds from relegation by converting his penalty kick against Brentford on the final matchday.
But most importantly, he attracted some serious attention from Europe’s top clubs. Undoubtedly a long journey for the Brazilian, who was rejected by International and Grêmio in his youth following trials with them.
