Barcelona winger Raphinha has angrily rubbished claims he is open to leaving Barcelona amid reported interest from the likes of Newcastle United and Chelsea.
Raphinha has been heavily linked with a move to Tyneside of late, with Spanish outlet Sport this week claiming the former Leeds United man had 'given the OK' for Barcelona to tout his services. The publication suggests £80m is the price for his signature this summer amid interest from the Magpies.
Fanatico Sport Futebol, an Instagram account with over one million followers, this week shared the Sport speculation on their social media channels, prompting an angry response from Raphinha himself in their comments section. "Lies. The person who said this is a liar and uninformed," the Brazilian commented.
READ MORE: Newcastle United summer transfer priority clear with Bruno Guimaraes being used in unsuited role
"Okay, [they] deleted my comment because lie once again," he added. "This is a lie and whoever said it is an uninformed liar and not professional. If my comment is deleted, I will post it on my instagram."
Barcelona are expected to sell a wealth of talent this summer as the club faces yet another financial crisis. La Liga have ordered the club to trim their expenditure by €200m (£177m) by selling players and reducing wages amid talk Lionel Messi could make a sensational Nou Camp return.
Barcelona will be keen to find suitors for a number of surplus stars and Newcastle, with their new-found wealth and stature, are an easy target for big clubs hoping to offload expensive talent.
Raphinha, however, remains happy at the club and manager Xavi has heaped praise on the 26-year-old in recent weeks. The former Premier League winger has featured 45 times for the club during his first season in Spain.
Newcastle will no doubt be linked with a host of talent in the coming months as Eddie Howe prepares to splash the cash at St James' Park this summer. The north east outfit are expected to spend big after securing European football, with a defensive midfielder, a left-back and a new centre-back on the shopping list.
READ NEXT
Newcastle United summer transfer priority clear with Bruno Guimaraes being used in unsuited role
Amanda Staveley's Newcastle dream one step closer after significant investment and support
Eddie Howe explains Allan Saint-Maximin cameo decision with more Newcastle minutes expected
Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles breaks silence after suffering season-ending injury
Newcastle's eight-figure kit deal is just the start as 'brand new' FFP revenue stream opens up
