FC Barcelona need a significant cash injection to be able to make their desired moves in the upcoming summer transfer window. There are several sources from which this income can come, but despite the presence of some alternative sources, the Catalans will have to sell some of their players to be able to buy new ones.
One of the areas that the Blaugranes are looking to strengthen in the summer is that of the left wing, and Luis Diaz is one of the favorite candidates of Deco for this position. However, to sign him, Barcelona will have to make a sale, and Raphinha has been touted as a candidate for a departure for this purpose.
There is no doubt that the Brazilian forward has a lot of demand in the market, and this is clear from a report from Mundo Deportivo which claims that another Saudi side, Al-Hilal is interested in the winger, and is willing to do anything to be able to sign him.
Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese coach in charge of the Saudi team, believes Raphinha’s incorporation will give a competitive boost to this team, and thus, has already spoken with people at Barcelona and with Raphinha’s entourage to let them know of his desire to get the Brazilian winger.
The manager already knows the opinion of Barcelona on the matter and knows that Raphinha is an important player in the Catalan team, as he can play on both wings and also presses the opposition defenses a lot from the frontline.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have also let the Portuguese tactician know that they will part with the Brazilian only if an astronomical offer arrives for him, i.e., a minimum of €90 million, though the Catalans would ideally want the operation to reach the €100 million mark. The Blaugranes rejected a €80 million offer for him last summer.
However, this is not going to be much of a problem for Jorge Jesus, as his club has given him a blank cheque to make his desired signings. But the real problem for him will be to convince the player to leave Barcelona and join the Saudi side. For this purpose, he has already contacted people around him to inform the player of the huge salary leap that he will make with this transfer.