Leeds United’s Raphinha is now a Barcelona player as the La Liga giant’s bid for the Brazilian was accepted on Tuesday.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan side will pay an initial €58m to the Premier League club, plus €7m in add-ons and the winger is set to sign a five-year contract to move to Camp Nou. The Brazilian international reached an agreement with Barca over personal terms weeks ago but was waiting for the final step, which was for Barca to agree a fee with Leeds.
Leeds had superior financial offers for Raphinha from Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal reports Mundo Deportivo, but the player wanted to join Xavi’s squad more than anyone else and now his wish is set to come through.
? BOOM: RAPHINHA ya es jugador del FC Barcelona, según ha podido saber MD
?? El Barça pagará 58 millones, más 7 en variables y Raphinha firmará por 5 temporadas con el FC Barcelona.
?? @RogerTorello pic.twitter.com/TltsQogVIW
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) July 12, 2022
13 days ago, Chelsea saw a £55m bid accepted by Leeds for Raphinha, as reported by The Athletic, and it looked like the 25-year-old would be on his way to Stamford Bridge. However, Barcelona re-entered the race and turned the winger’s head; with the Yorkshire club accepting a lower bid from the Spanish giants in order to secure their star player his dream move.
Raphinha was a very important player for Leeds and enjoyed two fine seasons since moving to the Yorkshire club, scoring 17 Premier League goals in 65 top-flight appearances. The Brazilian produced some magic moments for the Elland Road faithful but a new horizon awaits him and one of the world’s biggest stages, the Camp Nou.