Barcelona have secured a cash injection of £117.6million (€207million) as they look to become active in the transfer market. The Catalan club are long said to have held talks with Raphinha, while the Brazilian's agent Deco has been spotted around Camp Nou.
The news comes after Chelsea agreed a fee with Leeds United for the 25-year-old on Tuesday to surpass interest from clubs including Arsenal. Todd Boehly is said to have moved quickly to come to an agreement for a £55million fee that could rise to £65million.
The Blues are yet to agree personal terms with the Elland Road winger, while Xavi's side are yet to come close to agreeing a fee with Leeds. Chelsea hope to tie the deal up quickly to not offer their competitors a chance to secure a deal, with Barcelona said to be Raphinha's preferred destination.
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Barcelona look set to be very active this summer having been linked to Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea target Jules Kounde, in addition to Blues defenders Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta. However, despite already securing the services of Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie on free transfers after their respective contracts expired at Chelsea and AC Milan, they have been unable to register their new stars.
Previous indiscretions of La Liga's salary limit mean that the majority of income must go towards paying off existing liabilities. For example, La Liga president Javier Tebas said: “If Barca sell players for €100million, they can spend €33million on new players."
Last season this saw Gerard Pique forego some of his own salary to aid in the signings of Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia - an expression of the additional difficulties the Spanish side may still encounter this summer.
However, £177.6million is not insignificant in beginning to provide some wiggle room. Barcelona reached an agreement with Sixth Street for the acquisition of 10% of the television rights of the club as Joan Laporta and co look to improve the side's financial standing.
The move comes after Barcelona's socios voted in favour of the proposal at an Extraordinary General Assembly. Sixth Street will make an initial investment of £177.6million and in return receive the benefit from that portion of rights from La Liga for 25 years. Barcelona will generate in total £229million for the season.
Club President Laporta said of the move: "We are activating the economic levers and executing our patient, sustainable and efficient strategy to strengthen the Club's financial base. Sixth Street is a strong supporter of football, is an experienced sports and global media investor, and as a partner will bring significant knowledge and resources while allowing us to independently manage our operations."
Co-founder of Sixth Street Alan Waxman suggests the company will provide 'flexible capital' to the club. He said: "We believe in the strategy that Joan Laporta and FC Barcelona are implementing and we are proud that one of the most successful clubs in football has chosen us to be their partner and provider of capital solutions.
"Our team looks forward to creating a long-term partnership by providing our flexible capital and extensive experience in the sports sector to support Barça as it continues to strengthen its organization and achieve its strategic goals."
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