Barcelona snubbed a £70million offer from Arsenal for Raphinha last month, according to Spanish outlet Sport1. The Gunners later signed Brighton winger Leandro Trossard to bolster their attacking options.
Leeds United only cashed in on the Brazilian seven months ago, raking in a tidy £40million profit on a player signed from Rennes two years earlier. Raphinha had developed into one of the Premier League’s top attacking talents despite the Whites’ on-field struggles.
Bagging 11 goals helped Leeds survive top-flight relegation last season but, throughout the campaign, talk of a possible move refused to go away. La Liga giants Barcelona eventually lured the winger to the Camp Nou for around £58million.
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However, Raphinha has failed to truly deliver so far in Catalonia. Astonishingly, the 26-year-old has completed an entire 90 minutes just once in 32 appearances since the switch.
An underwhelming World Cup campaign also saw Raphinha fail to register a goal or assist as Brazil were dumped out in the quarter-finals by Croatia. English supporters were reminded of his talents last week as he starred in Barcelona’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
Unlike the World Cup, Raphinha bagged and assisted to keep the tie alive ahead of the second leg. News has now emerged that Arsenal tried to bring him back to England in a sensational move last month.
Mikel Arteta has previously tracked Mykhailo Mudryk before the Ukrainian joined London rivals Chelsea. A deal for Raphinha would have almost eclipsed the Gunners’ £72million transfer record, paid for ex-Lille winger Pepe.
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