Chelsea will hold talks with Raphinha’s agent Deco today as they look to push through a deal for the £55m Arsenal target, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Raphinha has been linked with a move away from Leeds United this summer with Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona all battling to sign the Brazilian international.
The Blues moved into pole position after agreeing a £55 million deal with Leeds, but personal terms with the player’s side are yet to be agreed upon.
Romano has provided an update to claim that Chelsea will hold talks with Deco today to try and finalise personal terms in order to push through a transfer as soon as possible.
Arsenal were close to agreeing a deal with Leeds earlier in the week and Romano says the Gunners are ‘trying until the end’ to win the race for Raphinha’s signature.
Barcelona already have an agreement in place with the winger over personal terms but the Catalan side have not been able to agree on a fee with Leeds United due to their financial struggles.
Can Chelsea close out the deal?
Thomas Tuchel’s side are in a strong position to close out this deal. It’s completely up to Raphinha, now, who is said to be waiting for Barcelona to agree terms with Leeds.
Whether or not the West London outfit are able to convince the player to sign for them depends on how Barca acts in these finals moments of this saga. The Blaugrana are waiting for Ousmane Dembele’s answer on their last-ditch effort to renew his contract. The Frenchman will officially be a free agent on July 1.
Coming to the sporting aspect of it, Tuchel is bound to bring the best out of the Brazilian international. His side’s attack mainly relies on pace and threat from out wide, so Raphinha would fit in perfectly.
Raphinha scored 11 goals last campaign, in which his side was battling relegation. He is a versatile attacker who can not only play on the flanks but also in the midfield.
Time is moving fast in this summer window and Chelsea have already loaned out Romelu Lukaku. Tuchel is revamping his attack and has identified Raphinha as a key signing.
Will Raphinha end up at Chelsea, or can Arsenal somehow lure him to the Emirates? Only time will tell….
