Barcelona winger Raphinha has hit out at “lies” suggesting he is open to leaving the club this summer.
Raphinha only joined Barca in a £55million transfer from Leeds last summer, but he is already being linked with a move elsewhere. The Brazilian has 10 goals and 11 assists in 45 appearances for the Catalan side and has earned admiring glances from other clubs.
Barcelona are mired in financial problems and the need to conform with Financial Fair Play rules could see major changes this summer. LaLiga chief Javier Tebas has ordered the club to lower their wage bill by €200m (£177m) – and the move has sparked rumours Barca may be forced into selling some of their stars.
According to reports in Spain, Newcastle are one of the clubs keen on signing Raphinha and are willing to spend big to land him. Further gossip has emerged to suggest the 26-year-old would be up for moving back to the Premier League.
That has enraged Raphinha, who has made his annoyance public. Responding to an Instagram account called Fanatico Sport Futebol, which shared the rumours, Raphinha wrote: "Lies. The person who said this is a liar and uninformed.”
He then added: "Okay, [they] deleted my comment because lie once again. This is a lie and whoever said it is an uninformed liar and not professional. If my comment is deleted, I will post it on my instagram."
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Raphinha was chased by Arsenal and Chelsea before joining Barca last summer. That interest came on the back of 17 goals and 12 assists in 67 games for Leeds in all competitions.
He has been a regular in Xavi Hernandez’s side this season and will earn a LaLiga winners’ medal in the coming weeks. Barcelona are 13 points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table – yet are bracing themselves for a tumultuous transfer window.
Sergio Busquets confirmed on Wednesday that he will leave Barca at the end of the season, but the club will still need to trim their wage budget, especially if they want to sign new players. Ansu Fati is reportedly being pushed towards the Nou Camp exit door in a money-saving effort, while many fringe players will be sold.
Barca are keen to bring Lionel Messi back to the club when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires at the end of June. But Tebas has warned them they don’t have the “capacity” to squeeze him into their wage bill.
"As of today, no, but there is a lot of time left," Tebas said last month when asked whether Barca could re-sign Messi. "We are waiting for their [financial fair play] viability plan [for next season].
"I hope they can make the necessary moves to make space for Messi to come in, but of course we are not going to change any rules for Messi to sign. Barca can make moves; they sell players.
"That's what we hope happens because I am a fan of Messi and I would like Messi to play in our league. But we won't change any rules. It is complicated, but I think they have the capacity to do it."
