The Brazilian has fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou (Picture: Getty)
Tottenham are keen to explore a move for Barcelona’s out-of-favour winger Raphinha in the January window and could include a key player as part of the deal, according to reports in Spain.
The north Londoners lost Harry Kane in the summer and, despite signing the likes of James Maddison and Brennan Johnson, remain keen to bolster their attacking options.
Raphinha is a player the club tried to sign in the past, both when he was at Leeds and last summer, and he is thought to be highly rated by new boss Ange Postecoglou too.
According to Catalan newspaper Sport, Spurs are ready to try and entice Barcelona into selling in January – though they are unwilling to meet his €70million (£61m) valuation.
Raphinha cost around £50m when he swapped Elland Road for Camp Nou in 2022 and Tottenham feel his value has decreased since then.
The 26-year-old has been usurped on the right wing by youngster Lamine Yamal and has only started twice in La Liga this season, scoring two goals in his 276 minutes of action.
In an effort to lower the total cash value of the deal, Sport have suggested that Tottenham could offer players in part-exchange.
Raphinha is open to a return to the Premier League (Picture: Getty)
Ideally, Barca would want a straight cash deal due to their financial issues so it would take a high-calibre player to convince them to consider a swap.
One player who might fit the bill is Cristian Romero, who was actually linked with a move to Barca before he joined Spurs and was even recommended to the club by then player Lionel Messi but they lacked the funds to pursue a deal.
It seems unlikely that Tottenham would consider letting the World Cup winner leave, however, with the Argentine having performed excellently this season despite a rash red card against Chelsea.
Giovani Lo Celso and Romero could both be on Barca’s radar (Picture: Getty)
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Perhaps a more likely swap deal might involve Giovani Lo Celso, a player Xavi rates highly and tried to sign on loan in the summer.
Spurs ultimately decided to keep the midfielder, who impressed Postecoglou in pre-season, but he has only featured sparingly and has yet again been hampered by injury issues.
Barca’s need for midfield reinforcements has been exacerbated in the past 24 hours after youngster Gavi suffered an ACL tear playing for Spain against Georgia on Sunday, with his season likely over.
Mundo Deportivo are reporting that Lo Celso could be the ideal replacement for Gavi, though Barca may need to give up Raphinha in order to land him.
MORE : Spain boss hits back at Barcelona complaints after Gavi suffers serious knee injury
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