Well, Arsenal signing Raphinha is beginning to look a little unlikely.
The Gunners have already bid around £30 million for the Leeds United winger and according to The Daily Mail, were plotting an improved bid of around £50 million for the attacker.
Arsenal are going to need another wide player this summer amid speculation that Nicolas Pepe could and probably will be leaving the Emirates Stadium.
Given his qualities, Raphinha would be a fantastic replacement for the £72 million flop.
However, it’s been reported by The Athletic that Chelsea were now close to signing the Leeds player in a £55 million deal.
And at 3:49 this morning, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted out that Arsenal are ‘now waiting’ to see how the Blues fare in their efforts to sign the Brazil international, with the North Londoners having ‘tried until yesterday’ to get him.
The 25-year-old, a £17 million signing by the Whites two years ago, is one hell of a player but Mikel Arteta and Edu might have to concede defeat.
At the moment, it’s looking like Chelsea are going to be winning the race and sooner or later the Arsenal duo might have to focus on other targets.
Pepe staying in North London seems relatively impossible when you consider how poor he was last term.
But the Gunners are absolutely going to need a top-drawer replacement and although it might not be Raphinha, another winger being signed is imperative.
That being said, there’s been a number of twists regarding Raphinha already this summer, given that he looked set to join Barcelona at one point.
So maybe, just maybe, Arsenal’s ‘waiting’ – according to Romano – could yield something yet.
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