Arsenal now handed transfer boost on £60m target Arteta really wanted in 2022

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Arsenal tried and failed to sign Raphinha last summer, but could now be handed an opportunity to finally land his signature.

The Brazil winger joined Barcelona from Leeds United despite Arsenal bidding for him, but it has not been plain sailing for him in Spain.

Although his output has been fairly moderate, with 12 goals and 15 assists in 61 games, he has found himself in and out of the team as he has struggled to find consistent form, and has now been dropped in favour of teenager Lamine Yamal.

With Barcelona in a tricky financial situation, they could be open to a sale of Raphinha, and have now reportedly set an asking price for the 26-year-old.

Barcelona set asking price for Raphinha

A report from Football Transfers has now revealed that the Blaugrana would be willing to accept €70m (£60.9m) for Raphinha, and are “keen on cashing in” on him given that he has not lived up to expectations.

Raphinha does not want to leave, which could put a spanner in the works for any potential deal, but Arsenal are looking for a right-winger to help provide cover for Bukayo Saka.

Sporting director Edu Gaspar has a good relationship with his Barcelona counterpart Deco, and given that Mikel Arteta was heavily keen on Raphinha just over a year ago, he could return to try and convince him to join.

Would Raphinha be a good signing for Arsenal?

Although talented, there are a number of major concerns when it comes to a potential big-money deal to sign Raphinha.

His lack of success at Barcelona is a worry: although he was phenomenal at Leeds, perhaps there may be a concern that he may struggle in sides higher up the table with more pressure on them.

Furthermore, Raphinha’s lack of versatility, given how heavily left-footed he is, means that he is only truly comfortable on the right-wing. An option who can play in multiple positions, given how often Saka plays, would be more suitable for Arsenal right now.

Raphinha’s injury record, which has seen him already miss a chunk of this season, may also be of concern, and given the potential finances involved, there may be too many risks for Arsenal to green-light an expensive January deal for the Brazilian.