Raphinha is a step away from being a Barcelona player after an agreement has been reached with Leeds United.
Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Leeds United winger Raphinha, beating premier league side Chelsea to the Brazilian deal.
According to report it was stated that the Blues wanted the signature of the Brazilian international but Raphinha’s desire is to join the La Liga club.
According to ESPN, the total cost of the deal is worth over €60 million including add-ons, with the player expected to travel to Barcelona on Wednesday.
Sources close to the negotiations previously stated that Barcelona initial offers were not deemed acceptable because they were add-on heavy and in several installments.
However, with Raphinha prepared to wait for Barca, and his agent, Deco, holding a series of meetings with the club’s sporting director Mateu Alemany to help unblock the situation, the two clubs have finally struck a deal.
The arrival of Raphinha will not have an effect on Ousmane Dembele’s future. The Frenchman’s contract with Barca expired on June 30, but he was at the training ground on Tuesday ahead of signing a new two-year deal at Camp Nou.
Sources told ESPN that Dembele will sign his new contract no later than Thursday, with the final documentation currently being reviewed by the club’s legal team.
The 25-year-old is a full international with Brazil and played a key role as Leeds secured Premier League survival on the final day of last season.
His penalty in the win over Brentford was one of 17 goals he scored during two seasons at Elland Road following a €20m move from French side Rennes in 2020.
He first made the move to Europe in 2018, joining Sporting Lisbon from Vitoria Guimarães and spending one season in Portugal before his move to France.
