Chelsea have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Raphinha, with the player setting Barcelona a deadline before he re-opens negotiations with Thomas Tuchel’s side.
The Blues have already agreed a £55 million deal with Leeds United but the deal has slowed down due to the player’s preference being a move to the Camp Nou.
Recently, Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch admitted that he wanted the situation sorted sooner rather than later as Barcelona have still not agreed a fee with the club.
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“My guess is, I don't know,” said Marsch regarding Raphinha’s attendance of his side’s pre-season tour.
“We just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of days.
"There's urgency from his end, I think, to come up with a solution. We have to in the next couple of days see how things stand and see how we go.”
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Fabrizio Romano then reported that Barcelona’s latest bid for Raphinha has still not matched that of Chelsea.
However, Raphinha was still determined to wait for Barcelona to sign him this summer.
Despite this, further reports from Raisa Simplicio of Goal now believe that Chelsea are back in with a chance of signing the 25-year-old.
The report states that Raphinha and his agent, Deco, have given Barcelona just over 48 hours to agree a deal with Leeds United.
If a fee is not able to be agreed, Raphinha and Deco will re-open talks with Thomas Tuchel’s side over personal terms with a move to Stamford Bridge still a possibility.
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Ben Jacobs added to the report, revealing that both Deco and Raphinha are becoming frustrated with Barcelona as Chelsea are watching the situation.
Todd Boehly’s Blues have remained patient throughout, despite Raphinha awaiting a bid from Barcelona.
The American has recently visited Barcelona to meet with officials from the Catalan side, with the subject of conversations unknown.
While Raphinha’s name may not have been brought up, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso will most likely have been discussed as Barcelona look for a double swoop this summer.
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Boehly confirmed that Chelsea and Barcelona had struck an agreement regarding a transfer, but would not confirm who the subject of the meeting was.
It appears that the Blues must remain patient now and await a final decision from Barcelona, who will decide within the next 48 hours whether they can match Chelsea’s bid for Raphinha.
Therefore, the Blues are not out of the race for the 25-year-old just yet as he could complete a turnaround and end up as a Chelsea player this summer in the dramatic transfer battle.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Raphinha, Leeds United, Barcelona, Transfers, Football
Nick Emms