Some Barcelona ‘voices’ believe selling Raphinha to Manchester United after the Red Devils have reportedly made a whopping €150m [£127m] ‘offer’ for the former Leeds star the ‘perfect move’ to ease their financial struggles.
Ruben Amorim is working closely with newly-promoted Director of Football Jason Wilcox to rebuild an ailing Manchester United squad which produced the worst season in living memory last term.
The focus is very much on attacking players in the transfer market, with Matheus Cunha already joining the club after the Red Devils triggered his £62.5m release clause to land him from Wolves.
Having been beaten to the signing of Liam Delap – who impressed on his debut for Chelsea on Monday – they’re also scouring the market for a new No.9, though their pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres appears to have ended after the striker told them where to go.
They’ve had one bid rejected for Bryan Mbeumo of £55m plus a further £10m in add-ons rejected by Brentford, and are considering an improved bid amid competition from Thomas Frank’s Tottenham.
According to a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes on Monday the Red Devils have made a genuinely unbelievable ‘offer of €150m [£127m] for Raphinha’, having found some loose change down the back of one of their canteen chairs now collecting dust in a warehouse.
‘The figure has surprised even in the Camp Nou offices’ the report claimed, ‘where a proposal of such magnitude was not expected by the Brazilian winger’.
And now Nacional claim Barcelona are mulling over the offer, with ‘those responsible beginning to seriously doubt a figure that could revolutionise the club’s accounts’.
Barca boss Hansi Flick is desperate to keep hold of Raphinha, who is very much in the running for the Ballon d’Or after an incredible season saw him bag 34 goals and 25 assists.
But as the report states, ‘Barca’s economic situation is not the best’ and United’s reported offer would ‘allow the club to oxygenate its payroll, face new signings and even close key renewals without compromising the financial balance’.
Some at the club believe a move to United would be the ‘perfect move’:
‘The board, headed by Joan Laporta and Deco, is now at a crossroads: continue betting on a player who is at his peak of performance or accepting an offer that could mark a before and after in the club’s economy. Internally, there are already voices that consider that selling Raphinha for that amount would be a perfect move and that it would happen at the right time, even if Flick continues to be inflexible’
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That report comes as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the Catalans have reached an agreement with Nico Williams for the winger to join the club this summer in a huge blow for Arsenal.
He wrote in X: ‘Nico Williams and Barça have agreed personal terms on 6 year deal! Agreement sealed on player’s contract until June 2031 with the salary in the region of €7/8m net per season. Barça are currently working on financial terms to get deal done with Athletic.’
While it’s not yet clear how long Barcelona will look to spread out the payments for Williams, the Spain international’s release clause stands at €58m [£49.5m], which is cash they don’t have on hand but would do if they accept United’s mammoth and genuinely unbelievable ‘offer’ for Raphinha.
