Barcelona to rival Chelsea for Raphinha

Barcelona are aiming to beat Chelsea with a last-gasp bid for Raphinha, reputed journalist Gerard Romero claims.

The Brazilian has been tipped to leave Leeds United this summer, and it was recently predicted that he could join Arsenal.

However, Chelsea managed to move ahead in the race yesterday after showing the willingness to meet the £60 million price tag.

They are now planning to discuss personal terms with the player, but Romero claims that Barcelona have not given up on him.

The Catalan giants are Raphinha's preferred destination, but the club are not in a position to meet the Whites' transfer demands.

This could, however, change over the coming days. They are prepared to sell Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United for an initial £65m.

Meanwhile, the club are also expected to receive funds from third parties in exchange for their television revenues over coming seasons.

This could put them in a solid position to land Raphinha this summer.