Newcastle United have made an offer to Barcelona to sign former Leeds United playmaker Raphinha, according to reports in Spain.
The Magpies, who have moved up from sixth among all Premier League clubs in 2023, may look to strengthen their squad in the January move window, with Eddie Howe’s side well placed in the Premier League table.
Their 3-0 win over Fulham at St James’ Park on Saturday propelled them above Manchester United and into sixth place in the Premier League standings.
This puts them in a good position to fight for the riches of the Champions League by completing the Premier League’s fourth-best finish this season.
And they are reportedly on the hunt this winter, with Spanish publication Nacional claiming they have already made a €30m (£26m) bid for Barcelona winger Raphinha.
Newcastle are said to be hoping to “capitalise on the drama” in Barcelona and get the Brazilian striker from their rivals to sign.
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Raphinha, who has been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, has struggled to play with Xavi at the Camp Nou this season, and the Brazilian foreigner has only made six starts in La Liga.
Nacional adds that Barcelona president Joan Laporta “does not refuse to pay attention to the offers for him” but considers the Magpies’ offer of 30 million euros “totally insufficient”.
Laporta ‘would not rule out his departure if it would serve to bring in someone better’ and ‘would like to obtain at least €80m’ for the former Leeds superstar.
His poor start to the season at Barcelona “has not gone unnoticed among the smartest clubs in Europe” and Newcastle hoped to “get him at a lower price. “
Another Newcastle player who had his attractions before the January transfer window is Kalvin Phillips, and the Manchester City midfielder got plenty of game time under Pep Guardiola.
But they will compete with the Fabrizio Romano movement, which claims Serie A giants Juventus have now “opened negotiations” to sign the former Leeds midfielder.
Romano said in his Caught Offside column: “I understand that Juventus have started talks with Manchester City to talk about the deal with Kalvin Phillips. Negotiations are beginning between the clubs as Kalvin is said to be open to relocation. Juventus plan to offer a loan with an option to buy. Manchester City need it to be mandatory. Talks are ongoing.