KEY POINTS

  • Raphinha joined Leeds in the 2020 summer
  • His contract is until 2024
  • The Brazlian winger netted 17 goals across two seasons at Leeds

FC Barcelona have reportedly reached an agreement with Leeds United for the transfer of forward Raphinha, who has also been on Chelsea's transfer list.

Leeds have accepted Barcelona's bid of $55 million, plus an additional $20 million in performance-related add-on, Marca.com reported.

It was previously reported that Chelsea were close to signing Raphinha as the Blues had verbally agreed to pay Leeds' asking price for the Brazilian winger. However, the player was reluctant to join Thomas Tuchel's side as his preference had always been a move to Barcelona.

The Catalans have now begun to discuss the contract and personal terms with Raphinha, who is expected to sign a deal until 2027, according to Fabrizio Romano, who has a credible record in the European transfer market.

Leeds reportedly are finally convinced that despite the financial crisis, the Catalans are very much capable of paying Raphinha's transfer fee in the proposed three-installment schedule.

Raphinha's representative is none other than Deco, a former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder who is now a renowned sports agent. The retired soccer star was aware of Raphinha's desire to join Barcelona and therefore, he had a huge role to play in stopping the player's move to Stamford Bridge, according to Spanish outlet The SPORT.

Meanwhile, Raphinha, whose Leeds contract is until 2024, is currently in London, waiting for the two clubs to reach an agreement. Due to the strong interest of both Barcelona and Chelsea, Raphinha has not traveled with the rest of the Leeds squad for their pre-season tour of Australia.

Raphinha of Leeds United
Raphinha of Leeds United Getty Images | Robin Jones

After missing out on Raphinha, Chelsea are now looking at other options to strengthen their attack ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. The Blues have AC Milan's Rafael Leão and Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry on their target list, the Guardian reported.

Raphinha moved from Rennes to Leeds in the 2020 summer window and scored 17 goals and 12 assists in 67 appearances for the Premier League side across two seasons.

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