The astonishing profit Barcelona could make on ex-Leeds United star Raphinha after transfer ‘decision’

Former Leeds United star Raphinha may already be on the move this summer.

It has been less than a year since Raphinha swapped Yorkshire for Catalonia, joining Barcelona for around £50million last summer. Since then, the winger has done pretty well for Barca, who are about to be crowned La Liga champions. The Brazilian has made 45 appearances across all competitions, scoring 10 and assisting 11.

In truth, Xavi Hernandez has been saved by Raphinha’s presence, with the winger proving an important bridge in the absence of Ousmane Dembélé through injury in the second half of the season.

But under the presidency of Joan Laporta at Barcelona, no player is safe, no matter how recent their arrival. The Blaugrana are still negotiating tricky waters as far as their finances are concerned, and if they can make a quick buck, they are likely to do it as they look to fund Xavi’s project.

To that end, Sport are reporting that Barcelona could sell Raphinha this summer, believing they can demand a fee of just under £70million for the Brazilian’s services. That would mean a near £20million deposit for Barca in the space of just a year.

It’s claimed both Newcastle and Chelsea are interested in Raphinha heading into this summer. It’s no secret that the Magpies are looking for more depth out wide, and they do have the money to pull off a deal, but Chelsea have already invested heavily out wide over the last year, signing Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk in fees totalling safely over £100million.

Raphinha will surely feel hard done by should he be put up for sale as suggested, but Barcelona do need the cash if they are going to pull off signings this summer, and there is also the Lionel Messi factor, with reports the Argentine could return on a free transfer with big wages.