Spanish news outlet Fichajes has reported that Manchester City want to sign the Barcelona star Raphinha and are set to offer £84 million as their first bid to land the Brazilian. Their Premier League rivals Arsenal also want to revive their interest and look for his signing.
Manchester City want to sign Raphinha
Manchester City have already secured three signings this month, and they can even land their fourth one by February 3rd. They have agreed to terms with Omar Marmoush, and the attacker could be the new signing for Pep Guardiola’s side. However, they are also preparing for the summer transfer window, as the club is looking to spend £84 million for Raphinha.
The Brazilian struggled at Barcelona last season but has been the main man for the club in the ongoing season. He has appeared in 20 matches this season in La Liga, playing a total of 1679 minutes. Raphinha scores an average of 0.59 goals for every 90 minutes that the player is on the pitch. This attacking performance currently places him at 12th out of 393 La Liga players who’ve played at least three matches.
Raphinha has scored 11 goals in 20 matches so far in the La Liga 2024/2025 season. 5 of the 11 goals were scored at home, while he scored six goals at away games. Overall, Raphinha’s goals scored per 90 minutes is 0.59.
Will Barcelona accept the offer from Manchester City?
Moreover, Raphinha’s total G/A (goals + assists) is 17 for this season. His goal involvement equates to 0.91 per 90 minutes. His non-penalty xG per 90 minutes is 0.54. This puts Raphinha’s npxG output at 10.16 which puts him in the top 99 percentile of La Liga players. He has scored 22 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.
Barcelona will certainly not be happy with him leaving the club after the sensational performances that he has put in. Moreover, the player is happy with his life at Barcelona, and hence the club won’t be willing to accept any amount of money for the attacker. Hansi Flick values him a lot and considers him a big part of the project. So, it remains to be seen if he does move back to the Premier League or not.
