Fabrizio Romano reveals what must happen before Chelsea, Newcastle can sign Barcelona man in big-money deal

Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Pedri of Barcelona

Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Pedri celebrate Barcelona goal

Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on two Barcelona stars amid rumours they could move to the Premier League, with Chelsea and Newcastle named as interested clubs.

Barca could be involved in several deals with English teams in the summer transfer window. Frenkie de Jong has once again been linked with Manchester United, while Ansu Fati is supposedly a target for the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

But they are not the only members of Xavi’s squad being lined up for moves to the Prem. Former Leeds winger Raphinha, who moved to Barca last summer, is being targeted by Chelsea and Newcastle.

Last week, it emerged that Newcastle are ready to offer Barca all of the money they originally spent on Raphinha in a move which would take him to St James’ Park.

This would mean Newcastle spending £55million on the Brazilian, which would be getting close to their club-record arrival.

Over the weekend, Spanish outlet Diario Sport provided an update on Raphinha. They revealed how Chelsea ‘love’ him, setting up a potential switch to west London.

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Romano has now responded to the Chelsea and Newcastle links. He has suggested there is a chance Raphinha could join one of the two Prem sides, but only if Barca are forced into a sale due to Financial Fair Play issues.

“There are some reports circulating about Chelsea and Newcastle wanting to sign Raphinha,” Romano said in an interview with CaughtOffside.

Fabrizio Romano talks potential Chelsea, Newcastle deal

“I’m sure Barcelona are very happy with Raphinha, so, again, let’s see what happens with Financial Fair Play. But Barca want to trust Raphinha for present and future and he loves the club.”

It seems Barca would ideally like to retain the services of the 26-year-old for the long run. However, if they run into more financial difficulty, it would not be a surprise if he left the Camp Nou.

Another Barca winger who could leave Xavi’s squad is Ousmane Dembele. He was heavily linked with Chelsea last summer, before he ended up penning a new Barca contract.

Romano has also discussed Dembele’s future, saying: “It’s still [too] early to say what’s going to happen with Ousmane Dembele.

“Financial Fair Play will be crucial for Barcelona, but they really want to extend Dembele’s contract. Xavi is very happy with him, at this stage there’s nothing concrete with Premier League clubs.”

Xavi would clearly like to keep both Raphinha and Dembele. But his hands will be tied if Barca need to sell some of their prized assets, and Raphinha and Dembele could bring in big money.

Those two players will certainly be ones to watch during the summer window, with both Chelsea and Newcastle aiming to improve their respective squads.

Meanwhile, Chelsea can offer a Bayern Munich player a ‘top-class’ opportunity, according to a German journalist.