Raphinha has acknowledged that this summer’s move to Barcelona was always his “dream move,” and that no other offer could have come close to it.
The winger was expected to go from Leeds United to Barça for the most of 2022, with the Blaugrana preparing a cheap deal in the event that the Whites were dropped from the Premier League.
Raphinha’s goal in Leeds’ pivotal 2-1 victory against Brentford kept them alive on the penultimate day of the 2021/22 season, and the asking price was raised.
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Barcelona was always convinced that Raphinha would be theirs, despite a counteroffer of €65 million from Chelsea and interest from Arsenal and Tottenham.
In an interview with La Vanguardia, the Brazilian international declared that joining Barcelona was his primary objective.
When asked if he turned down an offer from Chelsea, Raphinha replied, “Yes, since my desire was to wear the Barcelona shirt, a team that I have followed since I was very little. since the arrival of Ronaldinho. Together with him, I made some progress in my understanding of the club’s past. I desired to take part in this.
So, despite a proposal’s financial strength, the dream and the wishes were greater than any other.
Raphinha scored his first goal for Barcelona in the weekend’s 3-0 win over Sevilla, but he hasn’t yet participated in a Champions League match after being passed over as a substitute during the middle of the week against Viktoria Plzen.