Izuchukwu OkosiBarcelona on Friday confirmed the signing of Brazilian forward Raphinha from Leeds United on an initial £49m deal that could rise to £55m in add-ons.
Raphinha was in a protracted transfer saga that also involved Arsenal and Chelsea but ultimately wanted to play for Barcelona.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelTwo weeks ago, Chelsea were thought to have hijacked Arsenal’s bid for the winger when they submitted a counter bid of £55m.
Former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Deco is Raphinha’s agent and the eventual destination of Raphinha became shrouded in controversy.
The protracted transfer triangle is over and Raphinha has spoken of his excitement signing for the Blaugrana.
“It’s a dream come true since I was a kid, and my family going to give my best.”
Raphinha was only interested in the move to Barcelona and according to reports in the UK with Chelsea his second choice. Arsenal was only a third option.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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