Raphinha sends firm transfer message amid Arsenal & Newcastle links
By Tom Gott
Barcelona winger Raphinha has confirmed he has no desire to leave Camp Nou this summer, vowing to stay at the club for 'many more years'.
The Brazil international bagged ten goals and 12 assists in a solid debut year at Barcelona and has been identified by both Arsenal and Newcastle as a possible summer transfer target.
While Barcelona want to keep Raphinha around, their need to raise money and trim their wage bill has led to reports that the 26-year-old could be sold for the right price, but that is something the winger himself is clearly not interested in.
"I will stay at Barça next season and the season after next, and the season after that, I have many years on my contract and I hope to serve those years and many more," he told Club Del Deportista.
He added: "Barcelona is a city I love, we Brazilians are very happy here."
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Raphinha came under criticism for a slot start to life in Catalonia. He managed just one goal and one assist in his first ten outings in La Liga but soon developed into one of Xavi's most dependable players, and Raphinha was keen to praise the manager for his continued faith.
"My first six months were difficult. It was a start to the season in which I scored few goals, made few assists, and didn’t play a direct role in the team," he explained. "But then I started to adapt better, my teammates helped me a lot.
"We have a coach who knows perfectly the way Barcelona play, someone who knows the club inside out. Xavi knew what he could do with this group."
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On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the latest transfer news. On the agenda is future of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi's shock move to Inter Miami, Declan Rice's proposed Arsenal deal, Tottenham's summer plans and more.
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