EDITOR’S PICK
EKO HOT BLOG reports that Chelsea’ hopes of signing Raphinha appear to be over once and for all after Barcelona finally agreed a fee with Leeds United, according to reports.
The Brazilian has been at the centre of one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas, with a host of Premier League clubs all vying for his signature.
Chelsea were actually the first club to agree a fee with Leeds, believed to be worth an initial £55million, while Arsenal also held extensive talks with the player’s camp.
However, Raphinha always had his heart set on moving to Camp Nou and he is now closer than ever to realising his dream after Barca at last put forward an acceptable offer.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Barca have now reached an agreement to sign Raphinha for €55m (£46.5m) plus a further €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons.
That makes the deal worth slightly less than what Chelsea were prepared to offer, but Leeds have ceded to the Brazilian’s desire to play for Barcelona.
Barca have been close to an agreement since last Friday but discussions have centred on the add-ons and structure of the deal.
Leeds had initially been sceptical about Barcelona’s payment plan – which involves a second financial ‘lever’ freeing up more funds this week – but those fears have been allayed.
The Premier League side have already given Raphinha permission to fly to Catalunya and he will do so imminently.
He has already agreed a five-year contract with the Spanish giants, with personal terms a mere formality at this stage.
Raphinha will undergo a medical on Wednesday morning and Barca hope he will be able to join the rest of the squad as they fly out to the US for their pre-season tour.
The Athletic are also reporting that Raphinha’s move is now at an advanced stage, though some ‘finishing touches’ are still required on the agreement – which will happen over the next 24 hours.
FURTHER READING
Raphinha will be Barca’s most expensive signing of the summer and the club are also set to announce a fresh deal for Ousmane Dembele – who trained with the club on Tuesday – while Xavi is still hoping to secure a deal for Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.
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