Reaveled: Chelsea could still lose out on Raphinha signing after Arsenal new last-ditch approach to counter move emerge
Arsenal execs reportedly spent Tuesday desperately attempting to persuade Leeds to sell Raphinha to them rather than Chelsea.
Raphinha has been the subject of a three-way tug of war in recent weeks, with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona all vying for his signature.
Having previously seemed certain to join both Barcelona and Arsenal, he is now set to join Chelsea following a pivotal day in the trade race.
After hijacking Arsenal’s pursuit of Raphinha, the Blues have agreed to a cost of £55 million with Leeds.
Todd Boehly, the new owner of Chelsea, is said to have had a say in the negotiations after temporarily taking over from outgoing director Marina Granovskaia.
Arsenal’s initial proposal was rejected by Leeds last week, and Chelsea moved quickly to sign a man who has 17 goals and 11 assists in 66 games for Leeds.
The 25-year-old could potentially join Chelsea in a double move alongside Raheem Sterling, who is closing in on a move to Thomas Tuchel’s side from Manchester City.
That will be a big setback for Arsenal, who spent Tuesday ‘frantically’ attempting to rekindle their interest in Raphinha with Leeds, according to the Daily Mail.
Raphinha’s agent, former Chelsea player Deco, is reportedly in advanced talks with the west London club after those talks fell through.
Leeds’ asking price has been met, and only personal terms have to be worked out.
That is not expected to be a problem, with Chelsea able to match Raphinha’s pay demands while also offering him Champions League football next season, something Arsenal cannot do.
Arsenal, however, may compete with Chelsea for Raphinha as they ponder a last-ditch approach for the Leeds United winger.
After arriving for a medical on Tuesday, Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is ready to join the Gunners.
The hope was that Arsenal would be able to sign one of his Brazilian international teammates, Raphinha, from Leeds.
However, Arsenal’s pursuit is far from done.
According to 90Min, Arsenal is reportedly considering making a new approach for the Brazilian star after learning of Chelsea’s offer.
According to Goal Brasil, Leeds are still waiting for a final bid from Arsenal before finalising the deal to Chelsea.
Leeds may even smell a bidding war here; the two London rivals won’t want to be considered as having missed out, so they may bid higher and more.
Arsenal now has the ball in their court. They had been following Raphinha for weeks and appeared to be in the lead while Barcelona faded away.
Chelsea’s move will have stunned Edu and Mikel Arteta, and the following hours will determine if Arsenal fights for Raphinha or simply moves on to other targets on Edu’s wish list.
Raphinha’s contract with Leeds expires in two years, but he now appears certain to quit the club he joined in a £17 million deal from Rennes in October 2020.
His arrival could mark the beginning of the Boehly era, which is set to begin with a bang this summer.
The American owner and his backers, Clearlake Capital, have set aside £200 million for the summer, and transfer business is picking up.
In addition to Raphinha and Sterling, Chelsea is in talks with Juventus about Matthijs de Ligt, Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.
Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, and Timo Werner might all leave in the coming weeks, following Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku is set to rejoin Inter Milan on a season-long loan after failing to impress upon his return to Stamford Bridge in a club-record £97.5 million move.
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Reaveled: Chelsea could still lose out on Raphinha signing after Arsenal new last-ditch approach to counter move emerge
