Arsenal were keen to sign then-Leeds winger Raphinha over the summer, but he held out for a move to Barcelona. However, that has proved to be a poor decision by the Brazilian forward as it has been reported that he is ‘for sale’ already.
Gunners director Edu has openly admitted that his side were keen on the winger, and a six-month stint at the Camp Nou is unlikely to cause Arsenal’s interest to fizzle out entirely. Especially as Edu told Sky Sports over the summer about a conversation that he had with Raphinha’s agent that implied he could return for transfer talks further down the line.
He explained: “I just said to Deco, ‘Can you explain to me the situation with Raphinha?’ and he was clear: ‘Edu, we have a good relationship but I’m not going to lie to you, his idea is to go to Barcelona because he’s dreaming to go to Barcelona, and we’ve been talking to Barcelona since a long time ago’.
“[I said] ‘Okay, thank you very much, if something happens then just let me know because I can explore and understand the situation. If not, no problem and we carry on with our relationship’.”