Barcelona ‘receive £55m offer’ for Arsenal, Newcastle target as Aston Villa ‘plot move’

According to reports, Aston Villa have joined the race to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha after the Catalan giants received a £55million offer for the Brazilian.

Raphinha made his name at Leeds United after moving to the Premier League for under £18m following their promotion in 2020.

The 27-year-old became an instant hit at Elland Road, scoring 17 goals and providing 12 assists in total before securing a big-money move to Barcelona.

Arsenal and Chelsea had been battling for his signature in the summer of 2022 and the latter had a bid accepted by Leeds.

However, Raphinha was prioritising a dream move to Barcelona and the La Liga club hijacked the Blues’ move.

It has been far from sunshine and rainbows for the Brazilian international in Catalonia and he has been the subject of transfer rumours since leaving Leeds.

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Arsenal and Chelsea have always remained attentive to his situation, while Newcastle United, Manchester United and Tottenham have also been linked.

A recent report claimed that the Magpies are willing to spend a ‘fortune’ to sign Raphinha .

The latest Premier League club to join the race is Aston Villa, who could sign a new winger after selling Moussa Diaby to Saud Arabian club Al Ittihad for around £50m.

The Villans have been very ambitious in the summer transfer window having qualified for the Champions League.

They are the highest spenders in Europe this summer , splashing out just under £150m on Ian Maatsen, Cameron Archer, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Enzo Barrenechea, Ross Barkley, and Jaden Philogene.

The sale of Diaby – which also happens to make them the biggest sellers of the summer window – has given Unai Emery’s side the freedom to spend some more, and Raphinha is reportedly a top target for the right wing.

Aston Villa ‘plot move’ for Arsenal-linked Barcelona star

According to Football Insider , Aston Villa are now ‘plotting a move’ for Raphinha.

The report states that Emery values the Brazilian winger’s Premier League experience and believes he is a ‘lethal’ forward who can come straight into his side.

Villa might struggle to sign Raphinha amidst reports in Spain claiming that Barcelona have received a 65 million euro (£55m) offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club for the ex-Leeds favourite.

The report notes that Arsenal are also keen but Raphinha does not want to leave. Nevertheless, the potential signings of Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig and Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams could leave him with little choice but to move on.

The £55m bid put on the table is considered too low for Barcelona to accept, even if they are desperately hoping to raise funds.

Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal were recently linked with Raphinha – who has become more valuable to Barca in recent months.

The La Liga giants are now more reluctant to offload the forward but their financial situation means they can not rule the sale out, reportedly asking Al Hilal to cough up closer to 90 million euros.

Arsenal could join the race to sign Raphinha with director of football Edu Gaspar reportedly willing to offer around £40m, while tempting the player by offering him the No. 10 shirt, which Fulham-linked Emile Smith Rowe is expected to vacate.

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