Man Utd make proposal to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha

Manchester United have put forward a proposal to Barcelona offering them Jadon Sancho in exchange for Brazilian winger Raphinha , according to a report from the Spanish publication Sport.

The report states that Manchester United have ‘asked’ the European giants regarding the possibility of a swap deal involving Sancho, and the Catalans are open to the idea of letting Raphinha leave this winter.

However, any potential move won’t come cheap as Sport suggests that Barcelona value the South American winger at around £79m [$100m] – which is a lot more than the £55m they paid for him 18 months ago. 

The former Leeds United winger has had a mixed spell with the Spanish club and he has been linked with an exit from the club in recent months. Returning to the Premier League could be an exciting opportunity for the player. The Brazilian played his best football in England with Leeds and returning to his comfort zone could help him get back to his best.

Although he has impressed with Barcelona at times, Raphinha’s performances have been too inconsistent. On the other hand, Sancho has had a fallout with manager Erik ten Hag and he does not have a future at Manchester United. His big-money move from Borussia Dortmund has clearly not worked out and it would be ideal for both parties to go their separate ways.

A move to Barcelona could be an exciting opportunity for the 23-year-old so some sort of swap deal could work out well for all concerned. 

Raphinha could transform Manchester United

Raphinha is versatile enough to operate on both flanks and he will add creativity and goals in the final third. Manchester United are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements in January and they will have to bring in more quality if they want to finish the season strongly.

They have had a mediocre season so far and they could easily miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification, so it’s easy to see why Erik ten Hag is targeting a move for Raphinha. 

However, a deal isn’t going to be easy as the report from Sport claims that clubs in Saudi Arabia are also keen on signing the 27-year-old Barcelona winger so United face competition for his services.

The Spanish giants are going through financial difficulties and they might prefer to sell him to Saudi clubs for a premium instead of an exchange deal for Sancho, who has not been at his best for over a year.