Raphinha gives Barcelona 48 hours to sign him as Catalans match Chelsea's £60m transfer offer

Posted Sunday, July 10, 2022 by Goal.com

Barca have finally made a suitable offer for the Brazil international, who is in a rush to have his future settled

The end of the Raphinha transfer saga is in sight, with Barcelona having finally been able to match the bid that was made by Chelsea to sign the Brazil winger. The onus is now on Leeds United to negotiate with Barca, who are the club that Raphinha would prefer to join having agreed personal terms with them in May.

Despite being less than stable when it comes to their finances, Barca have matched the £60 million ($72m) offer - including add-ons - that Leeds agreed with Chelsea last week.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are all-but out of the race despite showing interest earlier in the transfer window.

How will Barcelona be able to afford Raphinha?

Barca headed into the summer with a debt of around €600m (£508m/$611m) to pay off, and though they have made some strides by selling off some of their television rights, they remain in a hole financially.

They have been able to unveil new signings Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen in the past days, but neither can yet be registered until more money is raised.

With that in mind, the offer they have made to Leeds would see them pay the fee in installments over a number of years, rather than all in one go.

The initial fee they would agree to pay would also be lower than what Chelsea are offering, with more of Barca's bid made up of add-ons if certain achievements are met by Raphinha at Camp Nou.

What happens next for Raphinha and Barcelona?

GOAL has learned that negotiations between Leeds and Barcelona have now accelerated following confirmation of the Spanish side's offer, and a solution is set to be found in the coming days.

Raphinha and his agent, Deco, have given the clubs just over 48 hours to hash out a deal, otherwise they will concede defeat and re-open talks with Chelsea over personal terms in a bid to seal a move to Stamford Bridge.

Leeds have already begun moving on from the ex-Rennes man by signing Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord, and Raphinha is keen to start his pre-season training as soon as possible so as to hit the ground running in August.