Chelsea remain favourites to sign Leeds United star Raphinha despite the late interest from Barcelona, Standard Sport claim.
The Blues agreed a £55 million deal with Leeds for the Brazilian ace last month, but they are yet to finalise personal terms with the player.
Raphinha obviously has the preference to join Barcelona this summer, but the La Liga club are still to make a suitable bid on the table for the winger.
Standard Sport now report that Chelsea are in pole position to sign the 25-year-old, and the player’s future could be sorted in the next 24 hours.
Our view:
From the beginning, it has been known that Barcelona are Raphinha’s preferred destination, but the club are not in a position to pay the fee up front.
Chelsea are the next club on the player’s radar. The Blues will be optimistic of securing his services despite the delay in negotiations over personal terms.
Raphinha has been impressive in his two seasons at Leeds. In the recent campaign, he bagged 11 goals and three assists from 35 Premier League games.
His goal tally was similar to Chelsea’s Mason Mount, but the Brazilian was playing for a club that created lesser chances and were lying around the drop zone.
With a move to Stamford Bridge, he should only fare better. Chelsea value his contributions and it remains to be seen whether they can finalise personal terms.
The west London giants are unlikely to wait much longer for a transfer decision. Hopefully, they can get a deal over the line amid Barcelona’s financial issues.
Chelsea are on the cusp of signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, but they are still eyeing another marquee winger with multiple exits expected.
Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner are among players that could be shown the exit door as part of a rebuild of the club’s attack under manager Thomas Tuchel.
