Chelsea have reportedly missed out on the chance to sign Leeds winger Raphinha, as he’s set to join Barcelona.
Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed to CaughtOffside that Leeds and Chelsea had agreed a fee for Raphinha, with just personal terms to be finalised. Romano also claimed that Barcelona were also interested in the Brazilian, and it now appears they’ve won the race to sign him.
That’s according to Daily Mail journalist Mike Keegan, who claims Raphinha is now off to the Spanish club, as seen in the tweet below.
On Chelsea: expecting Raheem Sterling to join the group in LA this week – potentially Tuesday. Raphinha, however, is off to Barcelona.
— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) July 10, 2022
Chelsea will be seeing one new winger arriving at Stamford Bridge.
However, Keegan does expect Raheem Sterling to link up with the Chelsea squad this week, as he edges closer to completing a deal with the London club.
Missing out on Raphinha will be disappointing for Chelsea fans, but securing Sterling who recently won the league with Manchester City will soften the blow.
Despite their financial difficulties and falling behind Real Madrid somewhat, Barcelona is still an extremely attractive prospect for players.
Raphinha was willing to move countries, despite being offered a deal in England from a club who will be competing in the Champions League next season.