The transfer window will not just be about FC Barcelona making whatever move they wish to make. There will also be room for sacrifices and departures, both of which are considered a necessity for the Catalan club. However, to fully adapt to their financial situation, Barcelona may need a major departure to take place.
While there are many names within Barcelona that are being linked to an exit, one of the most commonly rumored ones is that of Brazilian winger Raphinha. The Barcelona winger, who arrived from Leeds United in the summer of 2022, is seen as a player who is no longer a requirement for the club but also has a decent market value.
Currently valued at €50 million, the player reportedly still has a good number of suitors from the English Premier League and other countries as well. However, the most keen interest as of recently has come from London-based club Arsenal, as reported by TeamTalk.
Mikel Arteta, the head coach of the Gunners, is reportedly ‘obsessed’ with the 27-year-old Barcelona winger and has apparently made it a priority for Arsenal to bring him on board this summer. However, instead of paying the full amount, the former Barcelona player and now Arsenal coach has another idea in mind.
He reportedly aims to propose a player-plus-cash deal to convince Barcelona to let go of the player. The player that he would be willing to include in this deal is reportedly Edward Nketiah, a 25-year-old English forward who is currently valued at €30 million.
However, it is still not a guarantee that Barcelona would be willing to agree to these terms. Mikel Arteta himself, on the other hand, is still willing to do his best to sign the Brazilian winger currently participating in the Copa America, a competition in which even club teammates do not mind turning into the fiercest of rivals.
For the Arsenal coach, his new interest in the Barcelona forward is a complete turnaround for him. As per the report, he was previously completely against signing the player and was even willing to reject that idea completely, but he now seems completely fond of the Barcelona player.
Arteta is still not the only former Barcelona player and now-turned-coach in the Premier League to be impressed by the winger, however. Previously, back in 2021, even legendary Barcelona coach and current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the winger for being an ‘exceptional’ player while he was representing Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United.
