Barcelona make move and present first offer for Leeds' Raphinha
The Catalan club have bid €35 million for the Brazil international
Barcelona are working on the signing of Leeds United winger Raphinha, who the club see as the ideal replacement for Ousmane Dembele, who is out of contract in June.
There has already been contact between the two clubs. And SPORT can confirm that Barça have made a first offer of €35 million to sign the Brazil international, who also has an Italian passport and won't count as a non-EU player.
Barça want to strengthen their attack this signing. Raphinha is a strategic signing, not just to take Dembele's place, but also as a big investment in the forward line.
With the signing of Erling Haaland looking hard due to the money involved, the club, in collaboration with coach Xavi Hernandez, will focus their attention on the versatile Leeds winger.
General manager Mateu Alemany and sporting advisor Jordi Cruyff are working on the negotiations to reach an agreement with the Premier League side as soon as possible.
Barça have moved ahead of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the race for Raphinha, who is represented by Deco, while Chelsea have slipped away due to the uncertainty around the club.
