Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in a battle with Chelsea over a deal to sign Barcelona star Raphinha, as per the Spanish outlet Sport.
Having displayed impressive performances during his time at Leeds United, the Brazilian attracted a lot of attention from several big English clubs. The Blues wanted to sign him and even agreed on a deal in principle with the Yorkshire club.
However, the winger chose to move to Camp Nou and the Blaugrana eventually managed to secure his signature for a fee of around £50m.
But, the move hasn’t panned out for Raphinha as he has struggled to secure his place in the Catalan giants’ starting eleven. Lamine Yamal has seemingly established himself as a fan favourite and it seems the 16-year-old is Xavi Hernandez’s preferred option to deploy on the right flank.
According to the report by Sport, if Raphinha can’t showcase his best between now and the end of this season then Barcelona could be open to cashing-in on Raphinha amid their financial difficulties.
The report further claims that Tottenham are willing to bid for Raphinha if Barcelona decide to sell the winger but securing his signature might not be straightforward for the North London club as Chelsea are also keen on signing him.
Battle
Sport states that apart from Chelsea and Tottenham, Newcastle United previously expressed their interest in signing him and Al-Hilal are also plotting a swoop for him.
The report says that Raphinha is happy at Barcelona and doesn’t want to leave but he could be forced out as Barcelona need to raise funds to add more firepower to their squad. Raphinha is valued at around £42m by Transfermarkt so his sale would generate a sizeable sum for Barca.
The South American previously showcased glimpses of his qualities in the Premier League during his time at Elland Road so he would be a shrewd signing for Tottenham or Chelsea if either club manage to secure his signature.
However, the Blues already have enough firepower in their right-wing position and don’t need to spend more to strengthen that department. So, Spurs might be a better destination for Raphinha over Chelsea.
But, it is going to be interesting to see who will eventually win the race to sign the Barcelona star if Chelsea and Tottenham go head-to-head with each other over this deal during the off-season.
