Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has reportedly decided to stay at the Nou Camp in a twist that could end the Catalan club’s pursuit of Raphinha. The Leeds United winger has been heavily linked with a move to Spain and has also courted interest from a host of Premier League clubs.
Arsenal tabled the first official bid for the Brazilian on Tuesday evening, which was thought to be some way off Leeds’ £60million valuation - the club have rejected the offer. The Spanish giants were thought to be the preferred destination for Raphinha, but they had to wait on the decision of current winger Dembele before they could officially make a move.
Questions over Barcelona’s finances cast doubt over a move, with club president Juan Laporta looking unlikely to budge from his valuation of around £30-35million - around half of Leeds’ price-tag. And now their interest in Raphinha looks set to take a back seat as they work on a new deal for Dembele, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
READ MORE: Arsenal's Raphinha jigsaw raises key question over Leeds United transfer bid
The Blaugrana had tabled a new deal some time ago, but the French international was not prepared to sign as he contemplated his future. Chelsea were monitoring the situation and were keen to reunite the winger with manager Thomas Tuchel - whom he played for at Borussia Dortmund.
The 25-year-old has struggled to fulfil his potential since moving to Spain in 2017 for over £130million, but had started to find form under Xavi. The Barca legend is understood to be happy to keep Dembele, having seen enough promise to think he can get the best out of him.
With the well-documented debilitating financial problems at the club, Barcelona will opt to re-sign their current winger on a free rather than coughing up a huge fee for Raphinha. Leeds have ramped up their asking price for the Brazilian and sense there could soon be a bidding war between top Premier League clubs.
The 25-year-old scored 11 goals and added three assists last season, at times single-handedly winning games and adding crucial points. And that proven ability in the league is likely to drive the asking price up for fellow English sides. Arsenal are joined by Tottenham, Chelsea and West Ham in their pursuit of the winger but it is the Gunners who lead the race.
Speaking on TalkSPORT on Wednesday, Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery suggested Raphinha may be tempted to stay at Elland Road if he cannot land his dream move to Barcelona. The Whites winger has cited regular playing time as a major deciding factor in any summer decisions as he looks ahead to the 2022 Qatar World Cup later in the year.
“In the case of Raphinha, if Barcelona can do it - and we don’t know if they can - but if they can it’s hard to say no, so that’s a push factor pushing him out.” Vickery told TalkSPORT . “In Raphinha’s shoes, if it’s not Barcelona there must be a temptation just to stay put, because of the World Cup. Normally, go, but let’s not rock the boat.”
Whites fans will be hoping that thought is in the mind of the Brazilian, with regular minutes by no means guaranteed at any of the aforementioned clubs. Raphinha isn’t likely to return to Thorp Arch on Monday - when preseason starts - due to an extended season on national team duty with Brazil.
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