As the Raphinha transfer saga finally comes to a close, the eventual confirmation of his future could set in motion a number of high-profile deals in European football.
This mainly revolves around Barcelona’s involvement in the race for Raphinha. The Brazillian’s desire to move to the Catalan giants has scuppered Chelsea’s efforts to sign him, despite agreeing to a fee of £60m with Leeds and having a deal in place to bring the 25-year-old to Stamford Bridge.
Things are now finally seem to be moving, with a deal agreed between Barcelona and Leeds and Raphinha heading to Spain for a medical.
READ MORE: Leeds United pursuing 'several targets' as their search for a striker continues
Despite all the financial issues plaguing the 26-time La Liga champions, they have still operated as one of the top dogs in the European transfer market, which has created a transfer traffic jam of sorts with the Raphinha deal heavily involved.
Barcelona have also been chasing Bayern Munich, and Poland’s legendary striker Robert Lewandowski and the forward’s camp have been openly pushing for a deal all summer. However, player registration is still an issue for Barcelona, with the club spending three times in salaries what they are earning in revenue.
Bayern are unwilling to part with their main striker without finding a replacement. The Bavarians are reportedly chasing Juventus Matthijs De Ligt, but only once they receive the money from the Lewandowski deal. Moreover, Leeds are in pursuit of a new striker, namely 21-year-old forward Charles de Ketelaere from Club Brugge, which also hinges are Barcelona confirming the Raphinha deal.
Chelsea simply did not know if they could land Tuchel’s desired winger but were waiting for news from Barcelona before focusing on other players. Arsenal were also pursuing the Brazilian, and Manchester United are waiting to see whether Frenkie de Jong will accept a pay cut from Barcelona to Barcelona secure their big targets. De Jong’s contract decision will then dictate whether the Red Devils can step up their chase for the Dutch midfielder.
Overall, with all these moves connected to Barcelona somehow, confirmation of Raphinha’s transfer to Catalonia should unclog a log jam of transfers waiting to happen and allow some of Europe’s top clubs to move forward with their transfer business.
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