According to Spanish outlet Sport, Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar has been making constant calls to the representative of Barcelona forward Raphinha over a summer move.
The London giants wanted to sign the 26-year-old in the last summer transfer window but the forward was adamant that he wanted to join Barcelona from Leeds United.
Raphinha has had a fine season with the Catalan outfit but Sport claim that he is concerned over his playing time if the club go on to re-sign Lionel Messi on a free transfer.
The same outlet claim that Arsenal chief Edu has been making constant calls to his agent Deco over a potential summer deal.
Arsenal are prepared to assure Raphinha with an increase on his £10.6 million annual wages. It is mentioned that Barcelona would want £60-71 million to consider his sale.
Quality
Raphinha was a top target for Arsenal last summer but they ended their interest due to the player’s stance.
However, they could get a second chance to land him this summer. Raphinha has been a key player for Barcelona but his situation could change if Messi were to rejoin them.
The Catalans will need to recoup funds to afford the huge wages for Messi and Raphinha could be one of the players that could be sacrificed for the Argentine’s return.
Arsenal appear interested in signing Raphinha again and they have a better opportunity to sign him, having already booked their spot in next season’s Champions League.
However, the big question mark is whether the player would accept playing second fiddle to Bukayo Saka on the right wing.
Raphina apparently wants to leave Barcelona due to the possibility of losing his starting role and he would not want to leave them for a similar scenario at Arsenal next season.
This could be a possible stumbling block for Arsenal in pursuing the Brazilian’s signature.
