The Brazil wide player, who was also on the radar of Chelsea and Arsenal, will now have his medical at Camp Nou.
The deal is reportedly worth up to £55 million ($65 million), which would make Raphinha the most expensive defender in history. In a report from Sky Sports, Leeds United and Barcelona have confirmed that an agreement has been reached for Raphinha to join the Spanish club on a transfer worth €65 million (about $75 million).
On Wednesday, the player will go through a medical and sign his Barcelona contract, which will run until 2027, after which he will finalise his transfer to La Liga.
Raphinha had been offered a chance to join both Chelsea and Arsenal, but he decided to return to Spain after two seasons in the Premier League.
The winger started his career at Vasco da Gama in Brazil before moving to France with Rennes in 2017. He then joined Leeds in 2020 and helped the club earn promotion to the Premier League.
In his first season in England, Raphinha was one of Leeds’ most important players, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists in 34 Premier League appearances.
Raphinha will now join a Barcelona side that is in the midst of a rebuild under new manager Ronald Koeman. The club has already signed forward Memphis Depay from Lyon and is also close to signing defender Eric Garcia from Manchester City.
Barcelona are looking to offload a number of players this summer, including Ousmane Dembele, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool.
It is not yet clear where Raphinha will fit into Koeman’s plans, but he will provide the Dutchman with another option in attack.
The agreement between Leeds and Barcelona
Leeds have announced in a press release on their website that they’ve reached an agreement with Barca to sell Raphinha: “We can confirm that an agreement in principle has been reached between FC Barcelona and us over the transfer of Raphinha.”
“The player will now undergo a medical in Spain.”
Barcelona issued a statement ahead of the news of Raphinha’s transfer becoming official, with the winger’s introduction before home supporters expected to take place.
Raphinha has started every game for Leeds since joining the club from Rennes in 2020, making 35 appearances and scoring six goals in all competitions.
Several top teams have shown interest in the 24-year-old midfielder’s tremendous form, but it appears Barcelona have won the race for his signature.
The two clubs have not yet confirmed the transfer fee, but it is believed to be in the region of €65 million.
Raphinha is set to undergo a medical with Barcelona in the coming days, and if all goes well, he will sign a four-year contract with the Spanish giants.
This will be a huge coup for Barcelona, as they have managed to sign one of the most promising young players in Europe. Raphinha will add much needed depth to their squad, and he will be a welcome addition to their attack.
The negotiations to bring Raphinha to Barcelona had been going on since Sunday, with the winger adamant about joining Barcelona despite having previously expressed interest in Chelsea.
The Blues had made an identical offer to Barcelona’s, giving Raheem Sterling a choice of his next team.
In the end, he chose Barca, with agent and former member of both clubs Deco taking charge of the deal. Raphinha will now earn double what he made in salary during his time with Leeds, while Barca will pay an initial €59m (£50m/$59m) in instalments, and a further €6m (£5m/$6m) in potential add-ons.
What was Raphinha’s record with Leeds?
Raphinha‘s record in football is not very impressive. He has only played for a few teams and has not achieved much success. However, he is still a young player and has time to improve his game. Rapinha’s biggest strength is his speed. He is able to run past defenders and create space for himself. If he can continue to develop his game, he could become a very good player.
The winger originally joined Leeds in 2020 after breaking out with French side Rennes in 2019-20.
He made a total of 67 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals during his time in England.
Raphinha also broke through with Brazil’s national team, earning each of his nine caps since making the move to Leeds.
He’ll hope to continue his good form with his new club as they make a push for the Champions League this season.
What does Chelsea think of not getting Raphinha?
Chelsea FC have been linked with a move for AS Monaco midfielder Allan Saint-Maximin, but the Blues are not interested in signing the 21-year-old.
That’s a shame, as he would have been a great signing for the club. Chelsea are instead focusing on other targets, including Juventus’ Federico Bernardeschi and Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic.
It’s a shame that Chelsea won’t be signing Saint-Maximin, as he is a very talented young player. However, the Blues have other targets that they are focusing on and it looks like they will be able to get one of them.
Their plan now is to get Bernardeschi and then focus on signing Pulisic next summer. Chelsea fans will be disappointed that the club won’t be signing Saint-Maximin, but they should be excited about the prospect of getting Bernardeschi and Pulisic.
Conclusion
It seems that Barcelona and Leeds have finally come to an agreement over the transfer of Raphinha. The deal is said to be worth €65 million, and it looks like it will go through very soon. This will be a huge coup for Leeds, who have managed to negotiate a very good price for their star player.
Raphinha has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, and he will no doubt be a big loss for the club. However, with the amount of money that they will be getting from his sale, Leeds will be able to reinvest it into their squad and hopefully make some more progress next season.