
Liverpool are reportedly preparing to make Barcelona winger Raphinha a top transfer target to replace Mohamed Salah next summer.
The Brazil international is expected to be the subject of a €100m bid from Liverpool, with the Reds prepared to pay big for him and Barca also likely to view that kind of figure as favourable.
That’s according to a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes, who also claim Atletico Madrid are interested in Raphinha, whose sale could help ease Barcelona’s Financial Fair Play concerns.
Raphinha has played in England before during a successful spell at Leeds United, though he’s arguably taken his game to another level at Barcelona.
| Raphinha at Barcelona | Games | Goals |
| 2022/23 | 50 | 10 |
| 2023/24 | 37 | 10 |
| 2024/25 | 57 | 34 |
| 2025/26 | 7 | 3 |
The 28-year-old contributed a remarkable total of 60 goals and assists in 57 games last season, as noted in the Fichajes report, so it’s easy to see why Liverpool could see him as the perfect successor to Salah.
Raphinha’s record of playing in the Premier League would also surely help him settle in, so it will be interesting to see if this deal goes ahead.
It’s clear, however, that a player of this calibre needs to be considered at the moment as it won’t be easy to replace Salah after his worrying dip in form so far this season.
It’s still early days, of course, but LFC supporters will surely be concerned by the club’s recent signings and their total lack of impact.
Hugo Ekitike has started well since moving to Anfield, but fellow summer arrivals Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have all been disappointing.
There’s no guarantee Raphinha can shine where those have failed, but perhaps the Brazilian’s experience of English football can help him a bit.
Then again, both Isak and Kerkez joined from Newcastle and Bournemouth, respectively, so even signings from within the same league aren’t guaranteed to adapt to new clubs, new tactical systems, managers, and players.
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