You would be excused for not fully being certain over where Raphinha will end up this summer. On Tuesday morning it looked like Arsenal were leading the race for his signature, by the evening, Chelsea had hijacked the deal agreeing a fee with Leeds and then hoping to secure personal terms.
But then on Wednesday it became clear that Barcelona were pushing to hijack the hijack after agreeing personal terms with the Brazilian several months ago. Now it is anyone's guess what happens, but the sudden confusion does not mean Chelsea are guaranteed a loss in this tense transfer battle with the Spanish giants.
Although Chelsea are the only club to agree a fee with Leeds and appear to remain in pole position to sign the 25-year-old, should the worst happen and the winger ends up at the Camp Nou, there might be a decent insurance policy waiting in the wings. Parallel to the confusion over Raphinha's future, there is still a massive question looming over the future of another winger that Chelsea and Barcelona hold a shared interest in: Ousmane Dembele.
READ MORE: Ousmane Dembele 'closer' to making Barcelona decision as Raphinha's Chelsea transfer imminent
Dembele's contract officially expires on June 30, although the La Liga club have been trying to clarify the Frenchman's future, his potential departure as a free agent has always felt intertwined with Raphinha. Even with the injection of funds, Barcelona are set to receive after reaching an agreement to sell 10% of their LaLigaTV rights to US firm Sixth Street, it is still unclear how much the club will actually be able to invest in new signings.
Even if they could secure Raphinha, would they be able to keep Dembele? Dembele as a free agent has always appeared an appealing prospect for Chelsea to jump on. There is an obvious admiration between the winger and Thomas Tuchel, plus the hope that with injury issues behind him, there is an incredible talent to unleash on the Premier League.
Todd Boehly quite clearly has his hands in a lot of deals at the moment, with Chelsea also in talks for Raheem Sterling, Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Ligt. Thursday's report from The Telegraph that Chelsea had even made a late inquiry to hijack Spurs' move for Richarlison further proved this. Chelsea are acting fast in this window to rebuild the squad but also appear flexible to move for alternative targets quickly, which is a good habit to get into.
Although it may appear chaotic from the outside, the last thing Boehly would want is for his first window to be derailed because the club put all their eggs in one basket. Given the major leaps Barcelona have to make this summer, one of Raphinha or Dembele could well end up wearing the Royal Blue for the 2022/23 season.
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