Just a few months ago, Raphinha was on the transfer list and the club was looking to offload him. However, the arrival of Hansi Flick, as the player himself confirmed, changed everything, and now the Brazilian has turned his season around and is in the running for the Ballon d’Or. The Brazilian has scored 30 goals and provided 23 assists this season.
With these figures, many see him as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or, but his numbers also threaten a historic FC Barcelona player. With 12 goals in the Champions League, he is now threatening the 14 scored by Leo Messi in the 2011/12 season under Pep Guardiola.
In the Champions League rout of Borussia Dortmund at Montjuic, Raphinha was the best player in the Barça attack, creating a couple of chances and recovering three balls. He also completed 28 of 34 passes (82%), made two successful dribbles and had one shot on goal.
His numbers have attracted a lot of interest in the transfer market, with offers coming in from Saudi Arabia and several of the Premier League’s biggest clubs. Both Middle Eastern and English clubs are willing to put a substantial amount on the table for the Brazilian, even reaching three figures. Barça are not considering selling him and are working on a contract extension, which, however, is proving more complicated than expected.
Problems with renewal
Barça wants to renew Raphinha and Raphinha wants to stay at Barça, but the contract extension process is not going smoothly. In recent weeks, attempts have been made to move forward with the contract extension of a player who currently has an agreement with the club until June 30, 2027.
However, although both the player and the club intend to continue together, there are discrepancies in the contract negotiations. The sticking point seems to be a specific issue: salary. There is said to be a disparity between what the number 11 is asking for, who currently earns approximately €12.5 million gross per season (according to Capology), and what the team is willing to offer.
In addition, SPORT adds another problem to the renewal: the length of the contract. Barcelona apparently has in mind to offer him two additional years, but under the 1+1 formula, i.e., one fixed year and another optional year, conditional on his performance. This offer does not seem to be to the liking of the Brazilian, who prefers that the two years be fixed.