Raphinha's agent Deco travelled to Barcelona on Wednesday amid reports that the Catalans are looking to 'hijack' Chelsea's bid for the Leeds United winger.
Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that Deco met with officials from the Camp Nou in a last-gasp effort to see if Barcelona are able to match Chelsea's offer, amid further claims that the Spaniards are looking to rush through a cash injection that will allow them to be competitive in the summer transfer market.
The Raphinha transfer saga took another major turn yesterday when Chelsea reportedly reached an agreement for the Brazilian international after tabling a £60million bid. Barcelona have been chasing Raphinha for months as a replacement for French international Ousmane Dembele, who is set to become a free agent on July 1.
Deco met Barca president Joan Laporta last week to find out if they were still committed to signing Raphinha. Journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted that Deco had agreed terms with Barca four months ago and expects them to continue their pursuit of the player along with Arsenal.
A move to Barca has long been Raphinha's priority but Chelsea's advances have forced Deco to return to Barcelona to 'clarify' whether they will be 'staying in the hunt' for him.
Barcelona are in desperate need of funds this summer and said to be working on a deal to raise €200million by selling off a stake of their club media rights. They have also been linked with Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski this summer, but any hopes of landing Raphinha rest on securing a cash injection imminently.
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