Raphinha Barcelona exit ‘truth’ as former Leeds United star subject of Lionel Messi transfer rumour

Former Leeds United star Raphinha continues to be brought up in transfer headlines during his first season at Barcelona. The Brazilian swapped Elland Road for Camp Nou last summer in a big-money deal, and he has featured regularly for his new club.

Raphinha has been a key part of Xavi Hernandez’s plans, particularly since Ousmane Dembélé picked up a significant injury. In fact, the winger has made 42 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring nine and assisting 10. Still, according to the Daily Mail, Arsenal and Newcastle are interested in Raphinha, claiming Barcelona could allow him to leave in order to raise funds to sign Lionel Messi.

However, there is more context to be considered. As detailed by Sport, Barca are keen to re-sign Messi when his contract at PSG expires this season, but it’s not just a case of saving up enough cash. Messi wants to stay in Europe, and he is not against the idea of returning to Barca, but it’s also detailed that he has received an offer from PSG, and he will consider staying in Paris.

It’s also claimed that there has been no direct contact between Barca and Messi at this point, so reports that the Blaugrana are preparing to clear house to make the signing are likely wide of the mark. That means it is not likely Raphinha is being offered out by any means, and there is even more evidence to suggest that.

Raphinha started for Barca over the weekend, and that start means the winger has started all of the last six La Liga games he has been available for. Over the weekend, the former Leeds star didn’t necessarily stand out in Barcelona’s win over Atletico Madrid, exiting as a substitute, with Ferran Torres stealing the show by scoring the winner.

Even with that, Spain’s two biggest sports newspapers based in Catalonia, Mundo Deportivo and Sport, who are both close to the club, have since published stories defending Raphinha’s efforts and highlighting that he is an important part of Xavi’s project at Camp Nou. Quite simply, that wouldn’t be happening at this stage of the season if Barca were currently shopping Raphinha for offers.