Barcelona hold fresh talks with Raphinha after previous difficulties | OneFootball

Barcelona have today met with the agent of star forward Raphinha to discuss a new deal. Raphinha leads Barcelona in terms of goals and assists together this season, and his having a career year in Catalonia.

As per Jijantes, on Friday Director of Football Deco held a fresh meeting with his agent over a new deal. His current contract expires in 2027, meaning Barcelona will be keen to either cash in on him this summer, or tie him down to a new deal.

Their information is that Deco discussed the basics of Raphinha’s new deal with the club, although they note that the talks are still in their early phases. The Blaugrana are delighted with both the attitude and performance Raphinha has shown over the past year.

What happened during their previous round of talks?

This follows the opening round of talks, when it was reported that Raphinha was not happy with Barcelona’s opening proposal for a new deal. It was noted that the Blaugrana were keen to extend his deal by a further season, with an option to extend it by another year, while Raphinha was keen for an extra two years. Amid talk of said malcontent, Raphinha is now also on the radar of three Premier League giants.

Image via Diario AS

How should Barcelona proceed with Raphinha?

The 28-year-old has been instrumental for Barcelona this season, scoring 30 goals and giving 25 assists in just 51 games so far this season, but there were reports earlier on in the year that some at the club believed it might be the best time to cash in on Raphinha.

There is probably some truth to that idea, especially given his age, but the question will be how would Barcelona go about replacing the Brazilian. Raphinha has fit in with Hansi Flick’s ideas like a glove, and Barcelona do not appear to be in a financial position to bring in a talent that would provide his production, even if he takes something of a step back next season.