Chelsea may still be in the running for the transfer of Leeds United winger Raphinha this summer, if Fabrizio Romano’s tweet this afternoon is anything to go by.
There’s been growing speculation that Raphinha is closing in on a move to Arsenal, with Goal claiming a deal could be done this week for the Brazil international.
Still, it seems it might not be as clear-cut as that, with Romano saying that although the Gunners have been in talks over signing Raphinha, there has also been contact from Chelsea and Tottenham.
See below for Romano’s tweet on the Raphinha transfer saga, which perhaps gives Blues fans a glimmer of hope that their club could still come out on top here…
Raphinha situation. ??? #LUFC
?? Barcelona agreed personal terms with Raphinha, but no agreement on fee with Leeds.
?? Arsenal are in direct negotiations with Leeds, interested since March.
?? Both Chelsea & Tottenham have been in contact too.
?? Fee could be around 65/75m. pic.twitter.com/39igUIOTqV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2022
Raphinha would be an important addition for Arsenal, giving Mikel Arteta an upgrade on the struggling Nicolas Pepe, but Chelsea also need to improve their options in that department.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are also targeting Raheem Sterling in attack, but Raphinha could be a fine alternative, or even a decent player to bring in alongside the Manchester City and England forward.
Not only do the Blues need to replace Romelu Lukaku in the centre of their attack, but Tuchel would also do well to replace struggling wide-forwards like Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.