Arsenal eye €90m bid for world’s most IN-FORM player

Arsenal could take advantage of Barcelona’s willingness to offload Raphinha next summer to land arguably the hottest player in world football right now.

The 27-year-old Brazil international has enjoyed a stellar season with Barca, scoring 12 goals and creating 10 more in just 17 appearances. Furthermore, head coach Hansi Flick has regularly trusted the winger with the captaincy – a clear show of faith in the attacker.

This has not, however, been enough to guarantee Raphinha’s future at Camp Nou, with ongoing rumours that Barcelona will try to land Nico Williams for their left wing.

Arsenal are now reportedly eager to pounce on this uncertainty.

Raphinha to Arsenal: Details of the bid

According to Fichajes, Arsenal are eyeing a €90 million bid for the player during the January transfer window.

Mikel Arteta is said to appreciate Raphinha’s ability to play off either flank, while the Spaniard wants to reinforce the Gunners’ attack with a player who is both dynamic and creative. Raphinha clearly ticks these two boxes.

Barcelona, meanwhile, could be tempted to sell even at this point. Although a new deal with Nike has been penned to ease the club’s financial problems, these issues still remain acute. The possibility of capturing Nico Williams at two-thirds of the price, meanwhile, is an attractive prospect.

Flick is unlikely to be willing to give the OK to such a move given Raphinha’s form, which has led FootballCritic to give him its top rating of 99. He is one of only five players to hit this height, which carries him above even Erling Haaland.

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Not a typical Gunners deal

For Arsenal, a deal for Raphinha at this price would also come as a shock.

Although Arteta typically tries to sign players who have Premier League experience, which Raphinha does from his time at Leeds United, the profile of Arsenal’s transfer targets are typically younger.

Any players who are older, for example Leandro Trossard or Jorginho, have typically come at a substantially lower cost than the price being talked about for Raphinha.

On top of all of this, the Gunners do not yet have a sporting director in place, with PSG’s highly rated Luis Campos one of the names they are considering for the post.