Ousmane Dembele is reportedly 'closer' to signing a new deal at Barcelona as Raphinha's move to Chelsea seems imminent after Deco's talks with Joan Laporta came to nothing.
The two wingers have been targets of Todd Boehly and more specifically manager Thomas Tuchel this summer, who wants to re-shape his attacking trio after Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter Milan on loan. Manchester City's Raheem Sterling is expected through the doors in a deal which could reach £45million but there is still work to do on the Raphinha deal.
This is despite Boehly agreeing a fee north of £55m verbally with Leeds for their Brazilian talismanic figure. However, he appears to have wanted to delay discussions over personal terms to see if his dream club Barca were to come in for him at the 11th hour. Deco was even spotted at Barca's HQ on Wednesday and Thursday, which was potentially an ominous sign, although their financial situation always meant that they would be up against it in this ongoing Raphinha battle. This has been confirmed by Barca Journalist Shay Lugassi who has tweeted: 'Sources at Chelsea say that despite Deco's meeting with Barcelona, they believe Raphinha will play at Stamford Bridge next season because they do not see much chance that barca will equal her offer with Leeds. The player wants FCB, but the differences are big.'
