Newcastle have reportedly made a ‘verbal proposal’ to Barcelona winger Raphinha as they eye a summer swoop for the former Leeds United star.
Arsenal are also in the race for the Brazil international, though, so we could see a bidding war take place for his services.
Raphinha certainly has the quality to turn Newcastle into an even more formidable force next season, so it will be interesting to see if they can win the race.
Eddie Howe has transformed the Magpies from relegation fodder to (almost certainly) a Champions League club since his arrival. Admittedly, he has brought in some top players, but he has spent his money very wisely.
The signings of Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Nick Pope and several others have been huge for Newcastle, for example.
But, Howe has also helped improve the players already at the club, such as Joelinton and Sean Longstaff.
Now, the manager is looking to further improve his squad as he prepares for Champions League football next term, and the Tynesiders are preparing to rival Arsenal for Raphinha.
That is according to journalist Gerard Romero, who claims Newcastle have made a ‘verbal proposal’ to the 26-year-old, as they look to bring him back to the Premier League.
Barcelona are grappling with ongoing Financial Fair Play issues and as a result, could be forced to sell more than one of their players this summer.
On top of that, Raphinha has struggled to find consistent form for the Catalans this season, so may look to return to England after just 10 months.
Overall, the winger has made 45 appearances across all competitions for Barca. In the process, he has scored 10 goals, as well as contributing 12 assists.
As mentioned, Newcastle face competition from Arsenal for Raphinha. However, given the form of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli this term, the ex-Leeds man could stuggle to break into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.
For the Magpies, on the other hand, it seems likely Raphinha would go straight into Howe’s team.
Allan Saint-Maximin has been linked with a summer departure, while the likes of Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon could all do with some quality competition.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Newcastle can bring in Raphinha in the upcoming transfer window. But, despite Barca’s financial difficulties, he will not come cheap.
It’s believed Barcelona value the Brazilian at approximately £60m. So, the Magpies would have to table an offer in that region to have any…
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