Agreement in principle to sign Raphinha

FC Barcelona and Leeds United Football Club have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Raphael Dias Belloli, Raphinha, pending the player passing his medical. 

Raphinha, a winger who can win matches

Born on 14 December 1996, Raphael Dias Belloli, better known as 'Raphinha', is a winger who is excellent in one on ones, with taking on defenders a key part of his game. His first club in Europe was Portuguese side Vitòria Guimaraes from where he moved on to Sporting Clube de Portugal for 6.5 million euros. 

A key man for Bielsa and Leeds

After making his mark in Portugal, French club Rennes paid 21 million euros for the winger, making him their second most expensive player ever at the time. A successful spell in Ligue 1 attracted the attention of Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa and Raphinha made his move to the Premier League. In his first season under the Argentine coach, Raphina made 30 appearances, scoring six goals and providing nine assists. The following season, in a struggling Leeds outfit, the Brazilian still managed 11 goals and three assists to help the Yorkshire club avoid relegation. The Brazilian's daring style of play endeared him to the Elland Road faithful.

A Brazilian international

Raphinha was first called up to the Brazilian national squad on 13 August 2021 for the triple header of 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Chile, Argentina, and Peru. He eventually debuted for the Seleção Canarinho on 7 October in the win against Venezuela and was involved in two of the three goals. Raphinha is joining FC Barcelona in a rich vein of form after his best season in terms of stats and quality.

A difference-maker on the right flank

Raphinha's football skills are evident. Hugely talented with the ball at his feet, he aims to beat his man with one-on-one dribbling. As a left-footed right winger, his natural tendency is to always try to get closer to the goal to provide an accurate cross for an assist or get a shot in on goal, precisely how most of his goals and assists have come to date.

He is also a dead ball specialist. The accuracy of his left foot makes him a very dangerous player on both free kicks and on the edge of the area from corners.