Chelsea are discussing personal terms with Raphinha after finalising a transfer agreement with Leeds United, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano claims.
The Brazil international was heavily linked with Premier League rivals Arsenal earlier this month, but Chelsea are now in the driving seat to land his signature.
Arsenal have been reluctant to meet Leeds’ £60-65 million valuation for Raphinha and this has benefitted Chelsea, who have agreed to pay the asking price.
According to Romano, the west London giants are now progressing with contract talks with Raphinha and his agent Deco as they look to secure the transfer.
Our view:
Raphinha has been hugely influential for Leeds over the past two seasons. In the recent campaign, he bagged 11 goals and three assists from 35 league outings.
His contribution helped the Whites avoid relegation to the Championship. This should benefit them financially in many aspects including the transfer of Raphinha.
Raphinha could have left the club for just £21.5m due to a relegation release clause, but they are now set to receive around three times the figure for his exit.
Arsenal looked determined to sign him at one point of time, but Chelsea have now got the upper hand and it won’t be a surprise if Raphinha agrees to join them.
While Barcelona have always been his preferred destination, it was recently reported by The Athletic that Chelsea would be the next club on the favoured list.
The Blues would offer him the chance to play in the Champions League unlike Arsenal while they have been winning plenty of silverware over the past 18 months.
Raphinha is generally a right-winger, but could operate in an attacking midfield role, suppose manager Thomas Tuchel persists with his 3-4-2-1 formation next term.
With the Blues also keen on signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, there could be a change in the set-up. Tuchel may shift to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system.
