Chelsea are favorites to sign Raphinha as Barcelona failing to make a bid for the Leeds United winger, according to reports.
The Brazil international is in high demand after two impressive seasons at Leeds and Chelsea have already accepted their £55million offer.
But Raphinha’s preference is for Barcelona and the winger is waiting for the Spanish club to reach an agreement with Leeds.
Last week, Raphinha’s agent, Deco, has met Barca’s hierarchy several times, but the Spanish club has yet to meet Leeds’ rating†
According to the Evening StandardRaphinha will make a decision on his future within the next 24 hours and Chelsea are ‘leading the way’ to strike a deal if Barcelona don’t act on an offer.
The report claims Arsenal has “not yet given up hope” of signing Raphinha, but says the winger has already “disapproved” of a move to Mikel Arteta’s side and Tottenham.
Chelsea are also set to announce their £45m deal to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
The England international has agreed a contract worth £300,000, which will make him the highest earner in the squad.
Chelsea are also pushing for two new centre-backs, but face the prospect of losing to Bayern Munich in the race for Matthijs de Ligt as the Juventus centre-back prefers a move to the champions Bundesliga.
Chelsea’s new co-owner Todd Boehly is also considering an offer for Cristiano Ronaldo, with the 37-year-old pushing to leave Manchester United this summer.
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