Tottenham could see any hope of signing Raphinha go up in smoke with reports claiming the Brazilian may be heading to the Saudi Pro League instead. Spurs have been linked with the winger and reportedly were open to sending a player to Barcelona as part of the deal.
Ange Postecoglou is looking to build upon his fine start at Tottenham by making further squad improvements. He won nine of his first 10 Premier League matches in charge in the club’s best start to a campaign since they won the double in 1961.
The Australian made major additions in his first window in charge, bringing in James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario. Spurs need to add more strength in depth in multiple positions in order to compete with the likes of Manchester City.
The departure of Harry Kane left a major hole in attack that Heung-min Son has so far filled admirably. But there aren’t many options below the regular starting players for Postecoglou to call upon.
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That has seen Tottenham linked with a move for Raphinha. Spanish outlet Sport claimed they will push to sign the former Leeds star in January.
Barca are reportedly demanding around £61million for Raphinha, a fee currently deemed too high by Spurs. However, the north Londoners were willing to bring the price down by offering players in exchange.
The report said Cristian Romero is one of the names that would be of interest to Barca. However, a fresh development has put any potential swap deal in major doubt.
Sport claimed on Wednesday that Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are keen on signing Raphinha. Al-Hilal are currently without Neymar due to the anterior cruciate knee ligament injury he picked up earlier this season.
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They want to bring in reinforcement out wide and have identified Neymar’s international team-mate as a target. Al-Hilal currently sit top of the table in Saudi Arabia and would be able to blow any offer from Spurs out of the water with their financial resources.
Raphinha made 67 appearances for Leeds in his previous spell in England, scoring 17 goals and registering 12 assists. But Spurs may miss out on bringing him back to the Premier League this time.
Postecoglou also wants to strengthen in defence in January. Eric Dier and Ben Davies have been forced into action of late due to Van de Ven’s injury and Romero’s suspension.
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