Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has reportedly decided to stay at the Nou Camp in a twist that could end the Catalan club’s pursuit of Raphinha. The Leeds United winger has been heavily linked with a move to Spain and has also courted interest from a host of Premier League clubs.
Arsenal tabled the first official bid for the Brazilian on Tuesday evening, which was thought to be some way off Leeds’ £60million valuation - the club have rejected the offer. The Spanish giants were thought to be the preferred destination for Raphinha, but they had to wait on the decision of current winger Dembele before they could officially make a move.
Questions over Barcelona’s finances cast doubt over a move, with club president Juan Laporta looking unlikely to budge from his valuation of around £30-35million - around half of Leeds’ price-tag. And now their interest in Raphinha looks set to take a back seat as they work on a new deal for Dembele, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
