100 million euros! Barcelona made crazy money, Riyadh Crescent locked up the Brazilian winger, and Ronaldo was hit
Just now, according to the exact news brought by the Spanish media Daily Sport, there has been an update on Barcelona's deal to sell winger Raphinha. Originally, they were in contact with Newcastle, but the situation was complicated by the involvement of Saudi league side Riyadh Crescent. After some bidding, Newcastle announced their withdrawal. The Riyadh Crescent became Raphinha's only next choice.
In fact, for Barcelona at this stage, they are very willing to see the battle for Raphinha appear. Because the more teams that want to sign the Brazilian striker, the more chances they have of getting a high price. Once Raphinha cashes out at a high level, it will be a great relief for Barcelona's finances. It can not only close the accounts, but also be able to take out some funds to bring in reinforcements in the transfer market. At this time, Riyadh Crescent gave Barcelona a price that could not be refused, which directly scared off Newcastle.
It is reported that Riyadh Crescent is still not satisfied with the current squad, and they hope to continue to buy strong stars from the five major leagues to improve the overall strength. At this time, they have been in close contact with Barcelona recently, and Raphinha is a natural target. According to Daily Sport, Riyadh Crescent's first round offer for Raphinha is 100 million euros. Barcelona are very happy with this. Especially for President Joan Laporta, who is too eager to take cash from Raphinha. Previously, it was revealed by the media that the Barcelona executives led by Laporta had been in contact with the official Saudi league.
Laporta is even willing to send five players in the squad in exchange for a huge transfer fee with the Saudi league, although the authenticity of the information cannot be confirmed. But at least Laporta's desire to sell players for money is real. The price of 100 million euros is recognized by both Barcelona and Riyadh Crescent. The traditional giants of the Saudi league like the Crescent have received a huge amount of support from the league. So 100 million euros is nothing to them.
At the same time, for Barcelona, the proceeds of 100 million euros will undoubtedly allow them to take care of all the trivial matters this summer. And it can also spare tens of millions of euros to bring in new players in the transfer market. Raphinha himself is a fringe figure in the team and he has been dropped by Xavi. So it's very important to put this kind of player who doesn't value much in the transfer market in exchange for a huge amount of money. The Brazilian striker, who they bought from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 for €57 million, did not live up to expectations at Barcelona. The end of his sale is already doomed. Raphinha has made 28 appearances for Barcelona so far this season. However, the number of starts was very small, and most of them played as substitute rotations. In a limited time, he contributed five goals and 10 assists.
To some extent, if Barcelona is still a heyday at this stage, it may need players like Raphinha to enrich the team's bench and enhance the depth of the squad. But Barcelona are now a slightly down-and-out giants who have to improve their financial situation and are forced to sell Raphinha to the Saudi side. With Riyadh Crescent set to sign Raphinha next, it is not really good news for their league rivals, Riyadh Victory. Because the Crescent team now dominates the league and the AFC Champions League.
If they continue to strengthen the team, their strength will become even more terrifying. The victory of Riyadh, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, was completely powerless. What's more, the target of their reinforcement this time is still a young and very powerful Raphinha. This kind of 100 million yuan level reinforcement will further widen the gap between the strength of the two sides. For Cristiano Ronaldo, this is the outcome he does not want to see. Because the stronger Riyadh Crescent becomes, the more he will not be able to win the title in the Saudi league. What do you think about this?