Chelsea told to pay €100m for Ballon d’Or contender

Barcelona are locked in transfer negotiations with Chelsea over a deal that could be worth up to €100 million, according to reports from Catalunya.

The Blues are seeking to Raphinha from the Camp Nou side and have already tabled a massive bid worth up to €85 million for the Brazil international.

This has been knocked back, with Barcelona demanding €100m for the winger, who has arguably been the Catalans’ outstanding player this season.

It reports that Raphinha is towards the top of Chelsea’s transfer shortlist, with the Blues of the belief that he would be a perfect foil for Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho as the Stamford Bridge outfit seek to strengthen their squad ahead of a potential Premier League title push.

Chelsea are even claimed to have tabled a bid worth €85m, with €60m of that coming up front and the rest to follow in bonuses.

El Nacional reports: “Barcelona will not settle for this offer and they will demand much more money to start talks for a possible sale of Raphinha, which is not completely ruled out, due to the club’s financial needs.

“But to do so, president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco will ask Chelsea, and all of their suitors, for a minimum of €100m.”

Raphinha: A potential Ballon d’Or winner

Raphinha, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €62.7m, is enjoying a career season that could feasibly lead to the Ballon d’Or should he continue his personal exploits for the duration of the campaign.

The winger, who will celebrate his 28th birthday on 14 December, has already posted 16 goals and 10 assists for Barcelona this season, despite playing just 22 games.

By way of comparison, Vinicius Junior, who Real Madrid felt should have won the prestigious award for the 2023/24 campaign, managed 24 goals and 11 assists across the duration of the season.

Raphinha will be hard to prise away from Barcelona, with the former Leeds United attacker having refused the opportunity for a transfer away from the club last summer amid much speculation. Now a firm favourite of the Blaugrana fans and under contract until 2027, it’s hard to see the Catalans releasing arguably their best-performing player.