Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tottenham on high alert as €80m Postecoglou target’s Barcelona frustrations come to light

Barcelona winger Raphinha looks to his left with a prominent Tottenham Hotspur badge

Raphinha could return to the Premier League with Tottenham with his frustrations at Barcelona rising to the surface

Tottenham Hotspur are on high alert after summer target Raphinha’s frustrations with life at Barcelona were uncovered, with the winger reportedly available for a fee of around €80million. 

Raphinha has featured prominently for Barcelona since arriving from Leeds United in a £55m deal in the summer of 2022, registering 15 goals and 22 assists in 78 appearances in all competitions.

Despite a respectable record of five goals and 10 assists this season, in which he has battled injury and lost his starting place to 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, Raphinha has struggled to win affection at the Spain giants.

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He is likely to be allowed to leave the Camp Nou in the summer, having been linked to the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United – as well as clubs in Saudi Arabia – over recent weeks.

Raphinha was seen turning to the crowd and putting his fingers in his ears after scoring the first goal of Barcelona’s victory over Almeria in December.

And a report by Spanish publication Sport has lifted the lid on the 27-year-old’s frustrations with life at Barcelona, with Raphinha feeling that he deserves more respect.

The report claims the player has been thrown off balance by the recent speculation over his future, with Raphinha feeling “singled out” – and lacking the support of the fans, the Barcelona board and the media – since he arrived at the Camp Nou almost two years ago.

His high fee – the biggest amount Barcelona have paid for a player since Joan Laporta was reinstalled as club president in March 2021 – as well as his failure to adequately replace Ousmane Dembele, who left for Paris Saint-Germain last summer, have been cited as the reasons for the lack of warmth towards him.

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To that end, Barcelona are said to have been constantly looking to recover their investment for the player, putting Raphinha up for sale and offering him to clubs in England.

With no club prepared to meet Barcelona’s asking price of more than €80m, however, Saudi Arabia could emerge as a potential destination for the former Rennes and Sporting Lisbon star.

Reports earlier this month claimed that Barcelona have received a “dizzying” offer – worth in excess of the club’s asking price – from a Saudi Arabian club for Raphinha.

It is said that Barcelona have called upon agents to help find a solution, though a move to Saudi Arabia is yet to win the approval of Raphinha himself.

A lack of alternative options could force Raphinha to switch to the Middle East, with the winger regarded as expendable by Barcelona given the sizeable fee they stand to recoup.

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