Speaking toClub Del Deportistamagazine (h/tMundo Deportivo), FCBarcelonawinger Raphinha has reaffirmed his intention to stay at the club for many amid strong interest from Newcastle United.
Raphinha signed forBarcelonaonly last summer but made a slow start to life in Catalonia. The Brazilian international eventually picked up pace and grew into a vital player for Xavi’s men, especially in the second half of the season when Ousmane Dembele was out injured.
The 26-year-old finished the 2022/23 campaign with ten goals and 12 assists from 50 appearances across all competitions.
However, given Barça’s economic situation, there have been murmurs about Raphinha’s future, with ɾєρօɾτs suggesting that the La Liga champions could consider selling the former Leeds United aceif a big offer in excess of €70 million were to come around.
Premier League club Newcastle United, for one, haveshown a strong interest in signing Raphinha in the summer.
However, the 26-year-old has no intention of leavingBarcelonaany time soon, as he said:”I will stay atBarçanext season and the season after next, and the season after that, I have many years on my contract and I hope to serve those years and many more.”
“Barcelona is a city I love, we Brazilians are very happy here,”he added.
Talking about his debut season with theBlaugrana, Raphinha admitted that he had difficulties in the first half of the campaign, but his teammates helped him adapt and get better with time.
“My first six months were difficult. It was a start to the season in which I scored few goals, made few assists, and didn’t play a direct role in the team. But then I started to adapt better, my teammates helped me a lot,”he said.
On the club’s objectives for the next season, Raphinha said:”The Champions League is the objective for next season.”
Finally, praising manager Xavi Hernandez, the winger stated:”We have a coach who knows perfectly the wayBarcelonaplay, someone who knows the club inside out. Xavi knew what he could do with this group.”
