Raphinha may already be in a battle for his FC Barcelona future six months into his debut season
With much excitement, the Blaugrana acquired the Brazilian international from Leeds United in a deal of €58 million plus €9 million in add-ons, beating out Chelsea and Arsenal for his services.
Raphinha hasn’t made the progress he had hoped to during his time at Camp Nou, though. Although there have been brief glimmers of his potential, they have been few and far between, raising concerns about his flexibility and reliability.
And now, Joaquim Piera of SPORT is saying that if Raphinha’s performances do not improve over the course of the second half of the season, Barcelona may consider putting him up for sale. It has been put down to the winger’s adjustment phase at the club, but considering Barcelona’s financial predicament, they will need to make one or more significant sales in the summer to meet Financial Fair Play requirements.
And according to the article, the Catalans think that selling Raphinha and recovering the majority of their investment in the winger will be simpler for them than selling someone like Ferran Torres. The Brazilian winger is still in hot demand in the Premier League, with Arsenal this month expressing more than just verbal interest.
Raphinha must now demonstrate why he should be allowed to continue at Barcelona for more than just one season. The 26-year-old is expected to establish himself as a regular in the upcoming games on the right side, which is where he prefers to play because Ousmane Dembele is injured. And he now faces the threat of being moved in the summer if he doesn’t step up and perform at this vital point in the season.
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