Barcelona ready to sacrifice Raphinha to Arsenal

Barcelona are reportedly considering selling winger Raphinha to finance a deal for the return of Lionel Messi.

The Spanish club is said to be in talks with La Liga about generating more flexibility in their Financial Fair Play regulations, as they have been charged by the league for breaching their FFP limit with three players during the 2021-22 season.

This has reportedly not deterred Barcelona, who have been buoyed by the lack of progress in Messi’s contract talks with Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Barcelona will need to move players on to make room for Messi’s return, and Raphinha is one of the players who has been tipped to be sold.

AS reports that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United have all retained an interest in Raphinha ahead of the summer transfer window. Barcelona’s board is thought to be open to selling the 26-year-old if they receive a significant return on the player.

Barcelona signed Raphinha from Leeds United for £55 million last summer, and he has impressed for the Catalan giants of late, scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists in 42 appearances so far this season.

However, Raphinha reportedly does not feel completely valued by Barcelona, given the club’s desire to use his sale to pave the way for Messi’s return.

Despite this, Barcelona manager Xavi has given no indication that he wants to part ways with the Brazilian. Speaking in February, Xavi described Raphinha as “the future of Barcelona”.

“He’s a criticised player but he does a lot and we value him a lot”, Xavi said. “We will always support Raphinha – he’s the future of Barcelona.”

It remains to be seen if Barcelona will go through with selling Raphinha, but it seems clear that they will need to move players on to finance a deal for Messi’s return.

The Argentinian forward’s contract with PSG expires this summer, and Barcelona are hoping to bring him back to the Nou Camp after he left the club in 2020.