Tottenham and Arsenal ‘set to battle it out to sign Raphinha in the summer’… with Saudi Arabian clubs ‘also interested in the Brazil star’ amid uncertainty over his Barcelona future

Tottenham and Arsenal could reportedly battle it out to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha this summer.

The Barcelona winger’s future at the club is uncertain due to the club’s financial situation as well as the fact that he has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot.

This season, he has started just 12 out of his 21 LaLiga appearances, netting four goals and registering seven assists.

Spanish publication SPORT have now reported that Premier League rivals Tottenham and Arsenal are set to battle it out to sign the 27-year-old this summer.

They could however also face competition from the Saudi Pro League, as the Brazilian has reportedly already received a £68m offer from one club.  

The Brazilian has struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting XI at the Spanish giants

Tottenham and Arsenal could battle it out with Saudi Pro League sides to sign the 27-year-old

The Brazilian had a positive first season at the Nou Camp following his £50m move from Leeds in the summer of 2022, scoring ten goals and providing 12 assists across 50 appearances in all competitions.

He had a poor start to this season however, only scoring his first goal of the campaign in their 3-2 victory over Almeria on December 20.

Raphinha has shown improvement in recent months however, registering six assists and two goals in his last 11 games. 

The Brazilian has been called up to the national squad for their upcoming friendlies against England and Spain.

He was one of the standout attackers in the English top-flight during his time at Leeds, as he contributed 17 goals and 12 assists across his two seasons at the club.

Raphinha would face heavy competition at Arsenal against the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Tottenham are looking for more cutting edge in the final third and a move for the South American would make sense. 

Barcelona will be looking to cut costs after LaLiga reportedly decreased their salary cap by over £50m to £175m.  

Raphinha scored 17 goals in 65 appearances during his two-year stint at Leeds United

The reigning Spanish champions have been struggling against Javier Tebas’ financial restrictions for some time following a number of huge transfer deals and several years of mismanagement at the Nou Camp.

Their most recent cut came after it had already been slashed by almost 50 per cent for the start of the season from £558m to £232m. 

This presents the Barcelona board a huge challenge in the summer, with the wage of the current squad claimed to be worth just over £342m.