Barcelona are getting closer to signing Leeds United Brazilian midfielder Raphinha after placing a bid worth £65million on the player.

The Catalans have been involved in a three-way interest in the player alongside Chelsea and Arsenal, although the latter later dropped their interest in him for other transfer targets.

However, Chelsea had submitted a £60 million offer plus another £5 million in add-ons, but the player’s interest lies at Camp Nou and has been holding out for the Catalans.

Without the two London clubs’ bids, Barcelona may have been able to snatch the Brazilian for just around £25 million after agreeing on personal terms with the player before the summer.

Barcelona has seen Leeds United agree to the €58m fixed fee plus add-ons up to a total €67 million package for Raphinha. His deal will run till 2027 at Camp Nou.

Barcelona will now focus on the sale of Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United. Unfortunately, the player is owed wages worth £17 million and is delaying the deal as the Dutch midfielder is reluctant to leave.

Manchester United’s boss Erik Ten Hag is eager to link up with his former Ajax star, and United are ready to pay £54 million for his services.

Barcelona is hoping to renegotiate terms with De Jong the same way they have done with Gerard Pique in order to ease their financial situation.

Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele is set to stay at the club till 2024 after a deal for a contract extension was agreed upon on Tuesday.

The French forward is out of contract and was initially considered for an exit after several injury problems. Nevertheless, He has completed medical tests at Ciudad Deportiva on Tuesday, with the new deal signed set to run till June 2024.

The club has also managed two free transfer additions, with Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen joining the team recently.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu