Arsenal’s Technical Director Edu has admitted that there was ‘interest’ from the North London club in Raphinha, but the Brazilian had his heart set on a move to Barcelona, which prevented any meaningful talks.
The Gunners were strongly linked with a move for the Leeds player before he completed his £55m switch to the Catalan giants last week. The 25-year-old was unveiled at Barcelona’s training ground on Friday before scoring on his debut in a pre-season-friendly victory over Real Madrid.
Raphinha quickly developed into a key player for Leeds after moving to Yorkshire from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes in 2020, scoring 17 goals and providing a further 12 assists in 65 appearances for the Whites. He also put in some key performances towards the end of last season to ensure the club avoided relegation from the Premier League.
