Barcelona star refusing to leave Camp Nou blocking Lionel Messi return: Reports

Barcelona forward Raphinha has denied rumors of a departure and this could potentially hamper Lionel Messi's return to Camp Nou.

The Argentine is confirmed to leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this summer and wants to reunite with the Catalans, but financial complications mean they will have to offload a few players first.

Raphinha was among those who reportedly was on the transfer list and the Portuguese football page, Fanaticos Por Futebol, put out a post relating to his transfer.

Accompanied with a photo of Raphinha was the caption:

"Raphinha has given the OK to hear transfer proposals for him. Barcelona want a minimum of €80 million. Chelsea and Newcastle United are the most interested clubs, and Deco will ensure the club receives the highest possible fee."

The news was attributed to a journalist called Joaquim Piera of Diario SPORT. To this, the player responded in the comments, writing:

“Fake news. Who shared that news is not well informed & not professional."

Having joined from Leeds United on a £50 million transfer last summer, Raphinha has failed to live up to his hefty price tag, scoring only 10 goals in 45 games, including seven in La Liga from 31 appearances.

Barcelona, who are currently going through a financial crisis, need to reduce their wage bill in order to accommodate Messi, and the 26-year-old was supposedly among those who could be axed.

But now with Raphinha denying all transfer rumors, it could jeopardize the club's ambitions to resign their former talismanic No.10. However, with Messi looking for a new club, the Blaugrana will look to pull all strings in their pursuit to bring him back to Camp Nou.

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Barcelona's Raphinha has improved in 2023

Barcelona star Raphinha has been a different beast in the 2023 calendar year. After scoring and assisting just twice each in La Liga in the first half of the season, the Brazilian has added five goals and four assists more to his tally since the turn of the year.

His goal-contribution average has gone up from 0.28 per game to 0.52 as Raphinha has slowly found his feet with the Blaugrana. He scored in their 1-0 wins over Valencia and Athletic Bilbao while assisting Ferran Torres in their win over Atletico Madrid by the same scoreline.

The 26-year-old's influence has visibly increased on the side and helped Barcelona sustain their title charge in the home stretch of the campaign.