Manchester United Considers Signing FC Barcelona Star, Reports SPORT
Manchester United is thinking about adding FC Barcelona winger Raphinha to their team, as reported by SPORT, who referenced unnamed insiders.
Manchester United is thinking about bringing in FC Barcelona attacker Raphinha, as reported by SPORT, who did not reveal their sources.
The player from Brazil participated in most of the game when Barcelona lost 0-3 to AS Monaco in the Joan Gamper Trophy. He also had the responsibility of being the team captain after Marc-Andre ter Stegen was substituted for Inaki Pena. This was the first time he wore the captain's armband since moving from Leeds United in 2022.
In the past few weeks, Raphinha has caught the attention of a team in Saudi Arabia. According to SPORT, Al-Nassr is considering offering over $100 million to have him play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in their attacking lineup.
As reported by the newspaper, Manchester United is now showing interest in the winger, Frenkie de Jong, who was criticized by fans before the start of the Gamper match.
The big Premier League team is close to signing Antony, who plays in the same position as Raphinha, for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. They are also looking to sell Jadon Sancho, who reached the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund last season, if they can.
Getting rid of those two unsuccessful high-priced signings would mean that Erik ten Hag would have to find someone to fill the position on the right side, and that's where Raphinha would step in.
Having a deal in place until the middle of 2027, Raphinha has no intention of leaving and is not required to do so either.
His future in Catalonia is unclear, especially with the recent signings of Dani Olmo for $60 million and Lamine Yamal. Both players are set to be ahead of him in terms of playing time, whether it's on the right wing or even potentially on both wings in Olmo's situation.
Raphinha moved back into the midfield when Lamine and Ferran Torres entered the Joan Gamper Trophy match. Ilkay Gundogan had to leave the game shortly after being substituted in, after only 20 minutes.
However, there are plenty of choices in that position, so it seems unlikely that Raphinha will have a real chance of starting in the midfield.
As Barcelona looks to add Nico Williams to their roster, they may need to make room by selling Raphinha from the left wing position. Selling to a prominent English team like Manchester United could bring in a substantial amount of money for the club.
