Raphinha has opened up on his decision to snub a summer move to Chelsea for a switch to Barcelona amid conversations with Ronaldinho and Neymar.
The 25-year-old was in high demand this summer with Barcelona, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal all showing interest in the Brazilian.
Chelsea submitted a bid for Raphinha and after talks with Leeds United, co-owner Todd Boehly reached an agreement with the Yorkshire side over the transfer.
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But Raphinha’s transfer continued to stall as he held out for Barcelona to make an offer and agree a deal with Leeds.
They did just that in July over a fee of around €65 million and confirmed the agreement in principle with the Premier League side on 13 July.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizanni admitted a couple of weeks later that he felt ashamed after going back on an agreement with Chelsea for the winger.
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He said in August: "We had a deal with Chelsea and I felt ashamed to go back to Todd Boehly and change the position.
“It was, for me, disrespectful and not the right thing to do. I didn't have a choice.
“If I could decide to not sell the player I would have preferred that but I didn't have a choice."
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Chelsea lost out on him and ended up signing just Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in attack.
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Raphinha has now opened up on why he rejected Chelsea and revealed the conversations he had with Neymar and Ronaldinho before confirming his switch to the Camp Nou.
Speaking to La Vanguardia, as quoted by Barca Universal, he said: “My dream was to wear the Barcelona shirt, which is a club that I have followed since I was very young. Since Ronaldinho arrived, I began to understand a little more about the history of the club.
“I wanted to be a part of this. So that dream, those desires were stronger than any other proposal no matter how powerful it was financially
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“Ronnie congratulated me through my father. Yes, I talk a lot with Neymar. He told me that if I came here he would not regret it. He is right.”
Barcelona have had to overcome financial obstacles this summer to sign players, activating many economic levers, and despite it being a concern, Raphinha showed trust and faith that everything would work out.
He added: "Yes. I knew that I might have some difficulties coming and being registered. But he was also aware of the effort the club was making. So I decided to trust and adapt to the economic conditions that existed."
Topics: Raphinha, Chelsea, Barcelona, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Transfers, Football
Matthew Debono