Barcelona reject €60m bid from unnamed English club for attacker, demand €80m fee: Reports
Barcelona have rejected a €60 million bid from an unnamed English club for Brazilian star Raphinha and are holding out for €80 million, according to Sport.
The winger arrived from then-Premier League side Leeds United in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of €58 million. Since his arrival, he failed to lock down a starting spot in Xavi's squad and was rotated frequently off the bench.
However, the Brazilian has become an integral part of Barca's attack after his impressive displays recently. He scored the winning goal against Las Palmas (1-0) in La Liga and bagged a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal (3-2).
This season, he has netted eight goals and assisted ten in 31 appearances across competitions. Overall, he has 18 goals and 22 assists in 81 games for the Blaugrana.
Even though Barcelona need a fire sale of players in the upcoming transfer window to sort out their financial woes, they are believed to be holding out for a bigger offer for Raphinha.
Teams like Manchester United and Chelsea have previously showcased interest in the talented Brazilian and could be tempted to make a move for his services once again in the summer.
Barcelona lacks depth in their attack, with stars like Ferran Torres and Joao Felix having already missed time due to nagging injuries. Saying that, they have been bolstered by the emergence of La Masia talents like Lamine Yamal and Marc Guiu and the arrival of Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque.
However, the loss of Raphinha would be a big blow to Barca's squad and they will be looking for a good offer if they are to part ways with their star winger.
"It's going to be a great night" - Barcelona club captain Sergi Roberto sends last-minute message to fans on social media
Barcelona club captain Sergi Roberto sent a last-minute motivational message to Blaugrana fans on social media ahead of their mammoth clash against French giants Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday (April 16).
The Spaniard urged fans to show up in numbers to support the Catalans against PSG in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The Catalans currently hold a slender 3-2 advantage from the first leg, and Roberto seems to believe their fans' unwavering support to help them get through to the semi-finals.
The midfielder-cum-fullback, who has been suspended for the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards, posted a picture of the Barcelona badge on Instagram with the caption:
“We need everyone at the stadium! It’s going to be a great night!”
With the tie hanging in the balance, Barcelona will be hoping that they can get the better of PSG to reach the final for the first time since the 2018-19 season.