Tottenham Hotspur is reported to be in a battle with Chelsea about an agreement to sign Barcelona Raphinha star, according to the Spanish media Sport.
Having shown impressive performances during his time at Leeds United, the Brazilian attracted a lot of attention from several big English clubs. The 'bleus' wanted to sign him and even reached an agreement in principle with the Yorkshire Club.
However, the winger decided to move to Camp Nou and the Blaugrana eventually managed to secure his signature for a fee of around £50m.
But the move has not worked out for Raphinha as he has struggled to secure his place in the Catalan giants' starting XI. Lamine Yamal has seemingly established himself as a fan favorite and it appears the 16-year-old is Xavi Hernandez's preferred option to be deployed on the right flank.
According to the report of SportIf Raphinha cannot show his best between now and the end of this season, then Barcelona could be open to cashing in on Raphinha amid their financial difficulties.
The report further claims that Tottenham are willing to bid for Raphinha if Barcelona decide to sell the winger, but securing his signature might not be easy for the north London club as Chelsea are also interested in signing him.
Battle
Sport affirms that, in addition to Chelsea and Tottenham, Newcastle UnitedEdit They previously expressed interest in signing him and Al-Hilal is also planning a raid for him.
The report says that Raphinha is happy in Barcelona and does not want to leave, but he could be forced to leave as Barcelona need to raise funds to add more firepower to their squad. Raphinha is valued at around 42 million pounds for Transfermarkt Therefore, its sale would generate a significant sum for Barça.
The South American previously showed flashes of his qualities in the first division during his time at Elland Road, so he would be a shrewd signing for Tottenham or Chelsea if either club manages to secure his signature.
However, Les Bleus already have enough firepower in their right-wing position and do not need to spend more to strengthen that department. So Spurs could be a better destination for Raphinha than Chelsea.
But it will be interesting to see who will ultimately win the race to sign the Barcelona star if Chelsea and Tottenham clash over this deal during the off-season.
