Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are all interested in signing Leeds United star Raphinha. However, reports have suggested that it's the Gunners who have been working the hardest to sign him in recent days.
Recent reports from The Athletic have suggested that there are concerns over whether Barcelona will be able to fund a deal for the forward. The Spanish side have debts of more than £1billion and strict controls on their recruitment and expenditure.
Spanish journalist Toni Juanmarti has since added that Arsenal are the side who are pursuing the deal with the most 'intensity' at the moment, although there's still a long way to go before any transfer is completed.
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And in what could be an advantage for Arsenal, Raphinha has previously admitted that he was a huge fan of Thierry Henry growing up. Speaking earlier this year in a self-penned Players' Tribune piece, he said: "I grew up on Thierry Henry’s goals.
"I’d be watching the Prem with my dad on the free-to-air channels. Henry was flying, man. The runs, the finishes, it was crazy.
"I also remember that the stadiums were always full. The songs, the shouts. The noise. I can’t remember the details, but I was probably sitting in a run-down bar somewhere in Restinga when I made the vow: One day I’m going to play there."
Raphinha would be Arsenal's second Brazilian signing of the window after Marquinhos joined the club a matter of days ago. The 19-year-old has penned a four-year deal at the Emirates Stadium which includes an option to extend for another season.
