Arsenal ROCKED as Barcelona hijack deal for the ‘next Adriano’

Arsenal are at risk of missing out on the signing of Vasco da Gama wonderkid Rayan as Barcelona have now entered the race, according to local media.

The 19-year-old has been one of the breakout stars of the 2025 Serie A season in his native Brazil. A product of Vasco da Gama’s youth academy, Rayan has established himself as a deadly attacker this term.

In 30 league appearances, the teenager has netted 12 goals, while also scoring four times across eight Copa do Brasil outings and once in the Copa Sudamericana.

His exploits have seen him earn lavish praise from Brazilian pundits, with one, Neto, recently comparing him to former superstar Adriano and tipping him to outshine the powerful attacker who never managed to live up to his potential.

“For me, Rayan from Vasco will be better than Adriano,” Neto said. “He has the same style, but he’s more technical. He’ll be much better than Adriano. Rayan is the big revelation of the Brazilian Championship.”

Barcelona make Rayan offer

Arsenal were among the first big European clubs to be heavily linked with a move for the wonderkid, having repeatedly scouted him in action for Vasco. Since then, the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea have also been added to his list of admirers.

However, according to local journalist Joel Silva, it is Barcelona who have taken the first concrete step towards signing Rayan by making an undisclosed bid for him.

The exact fee of the offer isn’t known, but it is believed that it clocked in below the player’s €40 million release clause. Negotiations between Vasco and Barcelona are described as ‘positive.’

One reason for the positivity surrounding this potential deal is that the Blaugrana have informed Vasco of their willingness to loan Rayan back to the club for the time being in a bid to avoid a repeat of the Vitor Roque fiasco last year.

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