Al-Hilal make €100 million offer to sign 27-year-old Barcelona star who could triple his wages with Saudi transfer: Reports
According to SPORT, Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are offering €100 million to sign Barcelona attacker Raphinha and are also willing to triple the Brazilian's wages.
As per the same report, Barca don't want to sell Raphinha for sporting reasons, however, they are open to sanctioning his transfer for financial ones. The club will have to convince the player to accept the offer; Raphinha is reportedly not interested in leaving Azulgrana.
Barca signed Raphinha from Leeds United in 2022 for a reported €57 million fee. They tied down the attacker to a five-year deal. The Brazilian has since made 78 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals and providing 22 assists. This season, the 27-year-old has scored five goals and has provided 10 assists in 28 appearances across competitions.
According to Capology, Raphinha currently earns a salary of €12.5 million per year at Barcelona. Al-Hilal are reportedly looking to triple that amount. The Brazilian's current Barca deal runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
According to a different report from SPORT, Newcastle United were also interested in signing Raphinha. The Magpies, however, have stalled their aspirations of bringing the Brazilian back to the Premier League.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta wants Xavi to stay at the helm
Xavi announced earlier this season that he will be stepping down as the Barcelona manager at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Spaniard took charge of the team in the middle of the 2021-22 campaign.
Joan Laporta has now stated that he wants Xavi to stay at the club beyond the end of the season. Laporta hinted that Xavi could reconsider his decision, saying on the Barca One podcast (via Barca Universal):
"I want Xavi to stay, I have already spoken to him and I insist on that. We made a commitment with Xavi that we will talk at the end of the season. Someties decisions are reconsidered."
Xavi, in his first full season in charge of Barca (2022-23), helped his boyhood club win the La Liga title. This season, La Blaugrana are second in the league and have reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain in a pulsating showdown.