Leeds United and Brazilian forward Raphinha has snubbed Chelsea and is on his way to FC Barcelona according to reports.
Chelsea had agreed to a fee of £60 Million with Leeds for the forward’s transfer but his heart had been set on a move to Spanish giants.
The Catalans have offered €58 million which can rise to €68 million with add-ons according to Fabrizio Romano.
Leeds are said to be “poised to accept the bid” and the deal is “not considered in doubt” even though Barca may have to wait to register the Brazilian because of their financial situation.
Barcelona and Raphinha had been linked for a while but their financial constraints put any move in doubt. But that all seems to have been worked out with Raphinha’s agent Deco who also represented Barcelona during their resurgence.
The winger will be Barcelona’s third summer signing after Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie while the club continues to be called the preferred destination of Robert Lewandowski. With Ousmane Dembele also extending his contract, Barcelona will look to challenge for trophies once again after two years of mediocre play.
Leeds have already moved to replace Raphinha by bringing in attacking replacements in Luis Sinisterra and Brenden Aaronson.
Chelsea, meanwhile, may not be too upset with the snub as they have already won the sweepstakes for Raheem Sterling with the England international set to join his new teammates in America for pre-season.
