Barcelona Chase $68M Star Who Has Been Termed 'Jewel Of Premier League': Report

FC Barcelona are reportedly chasing Leeds United forward Raphinha, who is also linked with Liverpool FC.

A transfer fee between $34 million and $68 million will be required by Barcelona to trigger a deal with Leeds for Raphinha, who has been termed as the "Jewel of Premier League" by the fans, reported Spanish publication Fichajes.

In the 2021-22 season, Raphinha, who is contracted with Leeds until 2024, has played all of their six Premier League matches and has netted three goals. However, the Elland Road side is yet to win a league match and are currently in the drop zone (18th).

Securing Raphinha won’t be an easy task for Barcelona, considering the club is already experiencing an extreme financial crisis. The Camp Nou side was forced to let go of stars such as Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann because of their hefty wage bill.

Moreover, they are expected to face a strong fight from Liverpool as The Reds have scouted the forward for an astonishing five years. Jurgen Klopp’s side reportedly first noticed him at the Copa Sao Paulo junior football tournament, according to soccer media outlet TEAMtalk.

It has also been reported that Liverpool have agreed to a fee with Brighton for midfielder Yves Bissouma, who could move to Anfield during the January transfer window. Bissouma was linked with Liverpool throughout the 2021 summer market but the Reds failed to secure the deal. Klopp has been a long-term admirer of the Mali national and it looks like Liverpool are close to sealing the deal this time around.

Even though Liverpool boss Klopp has said that the club won’t make any signing in the next few months, signing Raphina could still work for them. Liverpool’s attacking duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are expected to be away for the 2021 AFCON between January and February and Klopp will be a solid backup to fill in for that period of time.

With 14 points from six matches, Liverpool are at the top of the 2021-22 Premier League table but have an advantage of just a point. Their upcoming assignment is a Champions League trip to Porto, which is scheduled to take place Tuesday. This game will be followed by a big home league game against Manchester City on Saturday.