Barcelona attacker turned down chance to join Chelsea this summer: Reports

Brazil and Barcelona forward Raphinha reportedly turned down the chance to sign for Chelsea in the summer. According to reports in Spain, the 27-year-old was one of a few wide forward targets for the Premier League giants.

Raphinha signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2022 after two seasons with Leeds United where he made 67 appearances and had 29 goal involvements. They reportedly shelled out an initial £50 million for the services of the Brazilian with a further £5 million in performance-related add-ons.

The first two seasons with the Catalan club saw him score 20 goals and make 25 assists in 87 matches.

With a change in the managerial hotseat at Barcelona, Chelsea along with Saudi Pro League (SPL) sides Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal targeted the Brazilian to take advantage of the uncertainty at the club. However, Relevo reported that Chelsea along with the Saudi clubs were rejected by the 27-year-old.

Raphinha could have moved to Stamford Bridge back in 2022 as well when the Blues agreed a fee with Leeds ahead of his move to Spain. At the time, the Brazilian rejected the London side and opted to move to Barcelona instead.

This summer, after getting rejected again by the Barcelona forward, Chelsea moved on to sign Jadon Sancho on loan and Pedro Neto on a permanent transfer to bolster their attack.

---

Chelsea target Raphinha speaks about life at Barcelona under Hansi Flick

Playing under Hansi Flick has seen Raphinha don a more versatile role, playing across the frontline. The Brazil international has been an ever-present under the former Bayern Munich manager and has impressed in the early stages of the season.

In nine matches that he has played so far, Raphinha has scored five goals and provided three assists. He was hugely impressive in Barca's 7-0 rout of Villarreal where he scored a hat-trick and set up another goal and was also awarded La Liga's Player of the Month award for August.

The Chelsea target spoke to La Liga about the difference in playing styles under Xavi and Hansi Flick. He said that he is now playing closer to goal, something that he thrives at.

"During last season, Xavi had me defending several times and the truth is that I really like being closer to the goal. I’m a player who really likes to score and assist so I know that the closer the goal is, the more opportunities I have to score or pass," Raphinha said to La Liga via Barcelona Team News.

"Well, on the wing, it’s a little further away and a little more complicated depending on the game," he added.

Despite failing to sign Raphinha, Chelsea have made a strong start to the Premier League season under Enzo Maresca. After six gameweeks in the Premier League, they find themselves in fourth spot with 13 points.