Newcastle ‘would love’ to sign Howe’s ‘obsession’ with Chelsea star an alternative amid ‘offers’

According to reports, Newcastle United ‘would love’ to sign former Leeds United winger Raphinha with FC Barcelona open to letting him leave

Raphinha previously shone in the Premier League during his time at Leeds United. He grabbed 14 goal involvements in his 35 appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit during their relegation season in 2022/23.

The Brazil international’s form for Leeds attracted interest from Arsenal and Chelsea but Barcelona eventually won the race to sign him for £50m plus add-ons.

The 27-year-old has performed well for Barcelona, but he slipped down the pecking order last term as he only made 17 La Liga starts.

Barcelona are open to letting him leave this summer as they look to free up funds ahead of Nico Williams’ possible move to the Nou Camp from Atletico Bilbao.

Newcastle are understood to be big admirers of Raphinha, with manager Eddie Howe ‘obsessed’ with the winger. It’s also been claimed that they have ‘offered’ £44.5m for him, but Barcelona are holding out for a bigger fee.

READ: Solanke and Neto next: Ranking all 30 previous £40m-plus intra-Premier League transfers, with Palmer 7)

Newcastle’s priority before the summer transfer window closes is to sign a new right winger after they missed out on Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.

A report from Football Insider claims Newcastle ‘would love’ to sign Raphinha, but several ‘obstacles’ could prevent a deal from happening. It’s also noted that they have picked out a Chelsea star as a different ‘option’.

‘The Magpies are in the market for a wide forward before the transfer deadline, but Raphinha’s price tag might be too high for Newcastle.

‘In addition, the 27-year-old is said to be determined to stay and fight for his place at the Spanish side next season following the rise of Lamine Yamal.

‘Raphinha has received offers from Saudi Arabia, but the winger, who left Leeds in 2022, turned them down to stay with the La Liga giants.

‘There are many obstacles in the way of a potential transfer for Newcastle, which could make a move for Raphinha too complicated in this window.’

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‘Even though Raphina is a player Newcastle would like to have in the squad, the club are monitoring other options in their bid to sign a winger.

‘Football Insider revealed that the north east giants have made contact with Chelsea over signing Noni Madueke.’

While a few Newcastle players have been linked with potential exits, Howe is among the favourites to be the next permanent England manager.

Despite this, Howe was recently insistent that he has had “no contact” with members of the FA to discuss the role.

“Absolutely no contact whatsoever from anybody, and I’m fully committed to Newcastle,” Howe said. “There’s nothing to talk about.

“I don’t need to address the players. They know, I hope, by how I act and how I am on a daily basis and how committed I am to the club.”