Liverpool £65m transfer stance for Raphiha won’t change despite Barcelona interest

Raphinha, a Brazilian player who turned down a transfer to Chelsea, is reportedly still up for grabs, but whether Liverpool still needs him is up for debate.

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool aren’t completely out of the running to sign Leeds winger Raphinha, though they might even accept defeat in light of the recent announcement that Mohamed Salah’s contract will be extended.

Throughout the 2021/22 season and into the summer, Liverpool has been mentioned in connection with the Brazilian. Many groups, including Chelsea, Tottenham, and Barcelona, have been vying for Raphinha.

Leeds and Chelsea appeared to have reached an agreement, with the west London team willing to pay more than £65 million. Raphinha, it seems, doesn’t want to join Chelsea at all, therefore those plans have met a major roadblock.

It has been said that he intends to hold off until Barcelona arrives with a bid. Given the now-famous financial problems on the Catalan side, this could prove to be a lengthy wait (despite them selling off 10 per cent of their TV rights to a private equity firm for an instant cash injection recently).

Robert Lewandowski is reportedly being pursued by Barca, and Raphinha allegedly advised his agent, Deco, a former Barca and Chelsea player, to hold out for the Spanish club.