Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for a new attacking player ahead of January amid links with Barcelona star Raphinha, as per Football Insider.
The 26-year-old has endured a bittersweet first and second spell with Barcelona. He spent the first season playing second fiddle to Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati for a spot in the wings but still managed 10 goals and 10 assists for Blaugrana. This season, he’s behind the pecking order with Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal the preferable choice at right wing.
18 months after leaving Leeds United to join Barcelona in a £57m deal, Raphinha is being touted for a return to the Premier League as Tottenham are looking for attacking reinforcements
Raphinha is under contract with Barcelona until June 2027, and TeamTalk reveals that the Catalans are open to selling Raphinha at around €70m (£61.3m) which is a fractional profit from the fee they paid to Leeds to acquire him last summer.
Raphinha set for exit
After injuries to Manor Solomon, Richarlison, and Ivan Perisic, Ange Postecoglou is looking to bolster his attacking ranks and believes Raphinha will provide the much-needed quality they need to secure European places next season.
With two goals in 11 starts, Raphinha has found himself behind the pecking order as Ferran Torres, João Felix, and Lamine Yamal are preferred to support Robert Lewandowski in attack. An early red card and injuries has played a part in his limited appearances so far this season.
With Barcelona looking to sign the Portuguese pair of João Felix and Joao Cancelo on permanent deals, the Catalans are open to selling Raphinha to recoup significant fees to fund their transfers.
After Chelsea and Arsenal both missed out on the Brazilian last summer, Tottenham are currently well-placed to secure a move as they play an attractive brand of football that conveniently suits Raphinha’s qualities.
Spurs will be back to Premier League action this weekend as they host Unai Emery’s high-flying Aston Villa side and will hope their visible lack of squad depth doesn’t affect their performance as they will hope to avoid three consecutive defeats.
