Barcelona news: Raphinha has admitted he turned down Chelsea to seal his ‘dream’ move to the Catalan outfit.
Barcelona signed Raphinha from Leeds United in the summer transfer window in a deal worth up to £55m. The Brazilian has joined Barcelona on a five-year contract that runs until 2027.
Raphinha had also attracted transfer interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea appeared close to signing the Brazilian before Barcelona acquired the services of the highly rated winger.
Raphinha left Leeds United after two seasons with the club, during which he made 67 appearances for them. He also scored 17 goals for Leeds United, all in the Premier League.
Barcelona news: Raphinha admits she rejected Chelsea
Raphinha has now admitted that he turned down Chelsea to join Barcelona. He revealed that wearing the Barcelona shirt was a ‘dream’ and that he has followed the club since he was very young.
He also added that the dream and desire to play for Barcelona were stronger than other proposals.
“Yes, because my dream was to wear the Barcelona shirt, which is a club that I have followed since I was very young. Since Ronaldinho arrived. With him I began to understand a little more the history of the club. I wanted to be part of this,” Raphinha told La Vanguardia.
He added: “So that dream, those wishes were stronger than any other proposal no matter how powerful it was financially.”
Meanwhile, Raphinha made his debut for Barcelona in the first game of the 22/23 La Liga season. Until now he has played five games with Barcelona and has scored a goal for the Catalan team.
Raphinha has yet to make his Champions League debut for Barcelona. He was an unused substitute in Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in their 22/23 Champions League opener.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have won every game they have played since their 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano in their league debut. Barcelona currently sit top of the La Liga table with 13 points from their first five games. Barça, however, have played one more game than Real Madrid, who are in second place with 12 points.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have scored an impressive 15 league goals so far this season and have only conceded one goal.
Barcelona face Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage in their next game.
