Tottenham enter race to sign Barcelona attacker for whom Arsenal bid £62m in January - Reports

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha this summer. Both teams reportedly value Raphinha’s Premier League experience and ability to play on either wing.

According to Fichajes.net, the Lilywhites are eager to strengthen their squad this summer in order to fight on all fronts next season. They want to create a diverse squad and give potential new coach Julian Nagelsmann as many options as possible. With Harry Kane and Richarlison increasingly likely to leave, Tottenham Hotspur want to bring in Raphinha to reinforce their attack.

Barcelona, meanwhile, need to sell many of their stars to bring down their wage bill and sign summer targets Lionel Messi and Ilkay Gundogan. While Raphinha has been a regular under Xavi, Barcelona reportedly want to cash in on the highly valued winger.

Another of Raphinha’s suitors, Arsenal, are reportedly interested in bringing in a player who can not only provide cover for Bukayo Saka but also compete with him. It has been claimed that Mikel Arteta’s men wanted to sign Raphinha in the January and had tabled a hefty £62 million offer. The Blaugrana, though, turned that down, as they did not want to lose a key player in the middle of the season.

Raphinha, 26, joined the Blaugrana from Leeds United last summer. He has played 42 games for the club across competitions, scoring nine times and providing 10 assists.

The Brazil international, whose contract expires in 2027, played 65 Premier League games for Leeds between 2020 and 2022, scoring 17 times and providing 12 assists.

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Lionel Messi’s Barcelona return seems complicated after two players refuse to reduce wages

According to Spanish outlet Diario SPORT, Barcelona approached Frank Kessie and Andreas Christensen to reduce their wages. The players, who joined as free agents last summer, straight out refused to do so, complicating Lionel Messi’s potential return.

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has been linked with a return to Catalonia, with Barca’s vice-president Rafa Yuste confirming that they were already in contact with Messi’s camp. However, to bring him back, Barcelona must reduce their wage bill by a staggering £180 million. The same can be achieved by selling players or asking current players to take wage cuts.

The Blaugrana tried the latter option with Kessie and Christensen, only to be rejected right away. It has been reported that the two players are unhappy with the club’s treatment and could contemplate leaving this summer.