Chelsea appear to be out of the running for Leeds United winger Raphinha as he is set to join Barcelona.
The 27-year-old has held a preference for a move to the Camp Nou this summer, despite Chelsea agreeing a fee with Leeds United.
The most recent reports stated that Raphinha has set Barcelona a deadline before he will re-open talks with Chelsea.
This comes as Leeds United were said to be frustrated with Barcelona’s negotiations as Raphinha was not called up for their pre-season tour of Australia.
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Instead, he was allowed to focus on securing a permanent transfer away from the club.
It now appears that this will not be to Stamford Bridge, but instead Raphinha will be granted his wish of playing for Barcelona.
As reported by Mike Keegan of The Daily Mail, Barcelona are set to beat Chelsea to land Raphinha in a deal worth £63 million after selling their television rights, which has improved matters.
It remains to be seen as to whether Leeds United will accept the latest bid, with it looking likely that the Brazilian will be granted his move to Spain.
Fabrizio Romano had previously reported that there was no final agreement between Leeds and Barcelona for the Chelsea target.
However, the 25-year-old was pushing for a move to the Camp Nou and putting pressure on Leeds to accept Barcelona’s latest offer.
Also, talkSPORT have stated that Barcelona wish to pay the first instalment of cash to Leeds United next year.
However, there are ‘real concerns’ whether the club will be able to meet that agreement due to their financial woes.
If Leeds accept the latest offer, Chelsea will have a minimal chance of securing a deal for the winger.
It is not all doom and gloom for Chelsea, though, as they have agreed a fee with Manchester City for Raheem Sterling.
The 27-year-old is set to become one of the highest paid players in the Premier League, joining Chelsea officially once his medical has been passed.
Sterling will be hopeful of joining his Chelsea teammates in America soon for their pre-season tour, one which looks like Raphinha will never join.
It remains to be seen as to whether Chelsea will dip into the market and find a replacement target for the Leeds United forward as Thomas Tuchel prepares for the season ahead.
Chelsea will be hoping to compete at the top of the Premier League as the Blues add reinforcements to their squad this summer.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Raphinha, Barcelona, Leeds United, Football, Transfers
Nick Emms