Raphinha breaks silence after rejecting Chelsea

Barcelona attacker Raphinha has revealed that he always wanted to join the Catalan giants this summer despite the strong transfer interest from Chelsea.

The Blues reached an agreement with Leeds to sign the former Rennes man, but a deal did not materialise as he refused to accept personal terms.

Raphinha was quite clear that he wanted to join Barcelona, and the La Liga giants eventually finalised a deal to sign him from the Whites.

Speaking to La Vanguardia, Raphinha explained the decision to reject Chelsea saying: "Rejecting an offer from Chelsea? Yes, because my dream was to wear the Barca shirt. I followed them since I was young, since Ronaldinho arrived. I wanted to be a part of it."

Raphinha played a key role in Leeds avoiding relegation last season. As a result, the Yorkshire outfit commanded a premium fee for him.

The 25-year-old has had a good start to his Barcelona career, registering one goal and one assist from five appearances in the Spanish top-flight.