Just a few days ago, Raphinha admitted that he was going to leave Barça in the summer, but the arrival of Hansi Flick made him change his mind, and it seems that it was the best thing that could have happened to him. The Brazilian is having a fantastic season with Ballon d’Or numbers and has not yet reached his peak. Tonight against Inter Milan, he has a double challenge ahead of him.
Against Inter at Montjuic, Raphinha’s main task is to score to overtake Borussia Dortmund’s Guirassy, who has already been eliminated by Barça, in the race for the Pichichi. The Barça player is one goal behind the current European leader, who scored 13 goals for the German side in the quarter-finals. The Barça player has at least two games to surpass him. He currently has 12 goals to his name.
Where it seems that no one is going to take his crown is in the assists ranking, where Raphinha leads with seven assists in 12 games played. He is followed by Kimmich (Bayern) with six, although he has already been eliminated, and Fermín, also from Barça, with five. Achraf (PSG), also in the semifinals, has the same number.
Problems with renewal
In the midst of a season to remember, Raphinha and Barça are negotiating a contract extension for a player who currently has a deal with the club until June 30, 2027. However, although both the player and the club intend to stay together, there are discrepancies in the contract negotiations.
As is often the case in these situations, the main issue is financial. There is 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 Brazilian’s liking, as he prefers the two years to be fixed.