Barcelona winger’s future could depend on Lionel Messi operation – Romano

Speaking on his YouTube channel, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the situations of Barcelona winger Raphinha as well as the Catalans’ chief transfer target Lionel Messi.

The La Liga leaders are working towards bringing back their former captain to the club two years after he was forced to leave due to financial circumstances. Given that Messi’s PSG contract expires on June 30, Barcelona can re-sign him for free.

However, for that to happen, the soon-to-be Spanish champions need to make significant cuts to their salary mass as well as generate income to adhere to La Liga’s Financial Fair Play rules.

That has led to question marks over the future of the current stars at the club, including Raphinha.

Signed only last summer from Leeds United, the Brazilian international has done fairly well in his debut campaign in Catalonia. However, given the club’s need to raise cash, they are considering selling Raphinha reluctantly as they are aware he can fetch a good fee.

Recent reports suggest that Barça will hold out for €80 million for Raphinha, with clubs like Newcastle United and Chelsea interested.

But, as per Romano, if the Blaugrana are unable to sign Messi in the summer, they might decide against selling Raphinha.

As iterated earlier, the club do not want to sell Raphinha but are forced into the situation because of FFP issues. It is believed that manager Xavi Hernandez is very happy with the 26-year-old and should Messi’s return operation collapse, the Brazilian might not be sold at all.

As for Messi, Romano adds that the Argentine will not close the doors on a return to Barcelona until the last minute and hope to complete the move even if there is just a 1% chance.

At the same time, he has a €400 million per year contract offer on the table from Al Hilal, who are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner.

The 35-year-old will not make a decision right away and will assess his options at the end of the season before taking the final call.