Barcelona are set to ‘gazump’ Chelsea’s bid to sign Raphinha with the Spanish side preparing a £60m offer for the Leeds winger.
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Leeds to sign Raphinha, having submitted an offer in the region of £55m for the Brazil international earlier this week.
However, Barcelona have remained interested in a deal and a move to the Camp Nou is understood to be Raphinha’s preferred destination.
The Spaniard’s financial situation has stalled the club’s interest so far this summer, though Barcelona struck a deal on Thursday to sell 10% of their La Liga TV rights across the next 25 years, an agreement which will raise an initial £178m.
The Times are reporting that Barcelona are now prepared to make a renewed effort to beat Chelsea to the signing of the forward, with the Catalan club’s offer set to be an initial fee of €60m (£51m) with a further €10m in add-ons.
Raphinha’s representative, former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Deco, met with Barcelona for further talks on Wednesday and the La Liga side are hopeful that the player’s desire to move to Spain can help secure a deal.
The Brazil international is keen to test himself at a higher level after two impressive seasons at Leeds, with the 25-year-old having scored 11 league goals for Jesse March’s side last season.
