Raphinha willing to wait 6-12 months for Barcelona – report | OneFootball

After it seemed like Barcelona had missed out on the capture of Raphinha, reports late on Friday claimed that the Blaugrana had pulled off a turnaround by reaching an agreement to sign the winger from Leeds United in a deal worth €60 million.

Barça are reportedly planning to pay the transfer fee to Leeds United in multiple instalments. However, their competitors for his signing, Chelsea are prepared to pay off the entire fee in a single instalment, which would be favourable to Leeds United.

However, as per ESPN, Raphinha remains insistent on joining Barcelona this summer. The 25-year-old has already agreed personal terms with the Catalan giants and is unwilling to consider any other offers, which gives the Blaugrana an edge.

The report further adds that if, for some reason, a move to Barça does not materialise this summer due to their economic issues, Raphinha is prepared to wait for six months or even a year to secure a switch to Camp Nou.

It means that the Brazilian winger is prepared to stay put at Leeds United for another six months or an entire season and sign for Barcelona in 2023 rather than join any other club, including Chelsea.

The player’s stance on the situation as well as him reaching an agreement over personal terms has been critical to Barça staying alive in the race for his signing. Whether they can get the deal over the line this summer remains to be seen.

Raphinha has been a top signing for Leeds United since joining the club in 2020 from Rennes. The 25-year-old is being viewed as a direct replacement for Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona, although there is a chance that the Frenchman might re-sign with the Catalans.