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Chelsea are ready to open talks about signing winger Raphinha from Barcelona in the coming days.
They were heavily linked with the winger in his Leeds United days last summer, but, in the end, he elected to move to the Spanish club instead.
However, his first season with them has not gone as well as he might have expected, and, when fit, Xavi prefers to play with Ousmane Demélé on the right wing.
Barcelona are open to letting the Brazilian go, with their need to cut their wage bill and raise funds from sales, before they can register new players or even entertain hopes of re-signing Lionel Messi. They are ready to listen to offers of £70 million for the player, although Chelsea face potential competition from Newcastle United, who have the advantage of being able to offer Raphina Champions League football next season, whilst the West London side are out of Europe altogether
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.