Raphinha is one of three Barcelona attackers facing an uncertain future at Camp Nou this summer. Given the club’s economic distress, the former Leeds United starlet’s name has been touted as a possible departee along with the likes of Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati.
Raphinha, though, has not shown much desire to leave Camp Nou. He wants to remain at the club and fight for his place in the first team, even though the forward should have no difficulties sealing a return to the Premier League.
However, the Brazilian is now being courted by Saudi Arabia. This has been reported by Achraf Ben Ayad, who claims even the Saudi Arabian clubs are starting to gauge the possibility of signing the Barcelona forward this summer.
The oil-rich country has been a disruptive force in the European transfer markets this summer. Due to their deep pockets, they have been able to lure a host of quality players such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, and most recently, Marcelo Brozovic.
Even players at their peak are starting to consider a move to Saudi Arabia, due to the large sum offered by the clubs.
To that end, it will be interesting to see whether Raphinha, whose market value stands at €60 million, too, is lured by such a lucrative contract. The forward has a lot of clout and is likely to attract a significant salary package in Saudi Arabia.
A move to the Middle East could be beneficial for Barcelona as well, knowing Saudi will be able to offer much more than Premier League clubs. This will help the club ultimately make a profit on the Raphinha deal while reducing the salary mass in the squad.
However, given the overall impact he had last season despite a slow start, Barça are unlikely to consider a sale, unless there is an extraordinary offer on the table.
