Saudi club Al-Hilal wants to sign Barcelona star following their failed pursuit of Lionel Messi - Reports
After failing to sign Barcelona icon Lionel Messi, Al-Hilal are now interested in securing the services of the Catalan club's winger Raphinha.
Despite interest in the former Leeds United player, Mundo Deportivo report Barcelona are yet to receive official bids.
The report claims the Saudi Pro League outfit's primary objective was to bring Messi to the club and match Al-Nassr's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the Argentina international and World Cup winner decided to make the move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old forward will stay with his new club till 2025. Speaking about the move, he said (via BBC):
"I'm very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States."
Reports still suggest Raphinha wishes to remain in Spain and fight for his place at his club. He started 25 league games for the La Liga outfit last season, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists.
The 26-year-old winger was signed from Leeds for a reported fee of €58 million in the summer of 2022. Despite interest from top Premier League clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal, Barcelona managed to sign the Brazil international.
At the moment, Raphinha will have to contest with several wide players at Camp Nou. This includes the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, and Ferran Torres.
Lionel Messi reveals why he picked Inter Miami over Barcelona
Lionel Messi has revealed why he preferred a move to the USA rather than making a dream return to Barcelona. The World Cup winner has made a stunning 778 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring 672 goals and providing 303 assists across all competitions.
But while deciding his future this summer, Messi revealed his selfless reason for picking the Major League Soccer side. He said (via AS):
"I heard that Barça would have had to sell players or reduce their wages and to be honest, that’s not something I wanted to happen - I didn’t want to be responsible for something like that just for my own gain."
The former Paris Saint-Germain forward is reported to make his Inter Miami debut on July 21 (via ESPN).