New Delhi: Barcelona forward Raphinha turned down a €100 million transfer deal from Saudi Arabia as per reports from SPORT. Raphinha has been linked to possible moves outside Catalonia with each passing transfer window since joining Barcelona in 2022 after leaving Leeds United.
There was no doubt that the 27-year-old would stay at Barcelona this season no matter how much he gets paid. The Brazilian was even highlighted early on as a potential sale for Barca as they were looking to free up space in their salary limit.
As per reports, Barcelona were willing to accept the offer from Saudi Arabia-who would have also offered the amount of deal to Raphinha for a four-year deal. However, the former Leeds United player would not have taken an offer if it had come from Newcastle United, the Saudi Pro League affiliate. Raphinha was most closely associated with Newcastle, while Manchester United and Arsenal were also said to have expressed passing interest.
🚨🚨 Al-Hilal offered Raphinha a fee of €25 million per year for each of the 4 years of the contract and an additional €100 million to Barça as a transfer, split between fixed and variable amounts. Raphinha’s response was brief: “No, thank you.” [@joaquimpiera] pic.twitter.com/NIqGEI96Ic
— Barça Xtra (@XtraBarcaa) September 11, 2024
While speaking to RAC1 recently Raphinha said, “Every day there is a different piece of news and this ends up being annoying. My head has always been here. Every season I think about doing better than the previous one and showing that I’m capable of being here for many years. I’ve received a lot of offers, but the best one for me is to be at Barca.”
As per SPORT, FC Barcelona was willing to accept Raphinha’s departure which would have helped pursue Nico Williams from Athletic Club this summer. Williams is undoubtedly younger and has not yet reached his prime, but Raphinha is showing early in the season that he is currently one of the most effective players when the conditions are ideal.
So far Raphinha has started the season with three goals and two assists as Barcelona, tops La Liga with a 100% record. He even netted a maiden hat trick against Rayo Vallecano. Before the international break, if he can keep up his present level of performance, a sale will be swiftly forgotten as the crowd even chanted ‘captain’ at the Montjuic Stadium in his direction.
FC Barcelona star turns down a staggering offer from Saudi Arabia, choosing to stay and contribute to the club’s success. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
