Man City ponder blockbuster Barcelona raid as frontrunners emerge in race to sign ‘sacrificable’ star

Manchester City have shortlisted Barcelona winger Raphinha as a potential transfer target but will face competition for his signature, while TEAMtalk can reveal his likely next move.

The Brazilian is a consistent starter under new Barcelona boss Hansi Flick and is in fine form, notching 12 goal contributions in 10 LaLiga appearances this season.

Raphinha has been heavily linked with moves away from the Camp Nou, with several Premier League clubs reportedly eyeing the former Leeds United man.

Recent reports from Spain have suggested that Man City could look to sign Raphinha if they replace Pep Guardiola with Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, who is their top manager target.

It has been claimed that Alonso has demanded the signing of Raphinha as his first piece of major business at the Etihad.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Man City are keeping tabs on Raphinha – but this has been the case since long before Alonso was linked with the club.

They gathered information about him in the summer of 2023 as they eyed a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, but ultimately decided not to make a move.

The Cityzens spoke with Barcelona about Raphinha again in the spring of this year as part of their discussions about Joao Cancelo. Raphinha remains a player of interest, and he could leave the Catalans in 2025 despite his importance to Flick’s squad.

READ MORE: Time up for Man Utd star with 2025 exit ‘likely’, as battle with Man City for classy replacement awaits

Man City eye ‘sacrificable’ Barca star – sources

Man City have followed Raphinha for over a year and a half and he remains on their shortlist, but he isn’t a priority target at this stage.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are reluctantly open to letting Raphinha go, as TEAMtalk sources say he is one of several ‘sacrificable’ players as the LaLiga giants look to improve their financial situation.

At the moment, the most concrete interest in the 27-year-old comes from the Saudi Pro League. We understand that Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, like Man City, have been following Raphinha since the summer of 2023.

Al-Nassr made an offer for Raphinha in 2023 but he snubbed the move to Saudi as his preference is to stay in Europe. The winger’s agents also offered him to Aston Villa over the summer, but a transfer to Unai Emery’s side never materialised.

Al-Nassr seems the most likely club to make a bid for Raphinha in 2025 but it will be interesting to see how this story develops.

For now, there have been no concrete moves for the ex-Leeds star, but the interest in him is real and so too is the prospect of him leaving Barcelona next year.

Guardiola to extend Man City stay / England man eyed

As mentioned, there is currently speculation surrounding the future of Guardiola, whose Man City contract expires next summer.

However, various outlets have recently claimed that Guardiola has decided to sign a new contract with the Cityzens. The deal could even be announced before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Man City have drawn up a shortlist of midfield targets as they look to bring in cover for Rodri, who is sidelined with a serious knee injury.

As previously reported, Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton has admirers behind the scenes at the Etihad. He is viewed as someone who can cover for Rodri in the short-term, but also be his long-term replacement.

The 20-year-old defensive midfielder has been superb for the Eagles since leaving Blackburn Rovers in January and was deservedly awarded a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad.

However, Manchester United are also very interested in Wharton so they could compete with their local rivals for his signature.

TEAMtalk sources say that Crystal Palace, who are currently third-bottom of the Premier League table, are unlikely to allow Wharton to leave in January, but ‘they’ll be lucky to keep him for next season.’

IN FOCUS: Raphinha vs Savinho and Jeremy Doku

Raphinha has made a sensational start to the 2024/25 season, registering five goals and seven assists in 10 La Liga appearances.

The Brazil international also has a goal and an assist from two Champions League appearances.

He is currently averaging a goal every 166.1 minutes and a direct goal contribution every 71.2 minutes.

Jeremy Doku and Savinho have been City’s first-choice wingers this season and the former has two goals and two assists in 11 appearances in all competitions.

The Belgium international is averaging a goal every 305 minutes and a direct goal contribution every 152.5 minutes

Savinho joined City in a £30.8million deal in the summer transfer window but is yet to score his maiden goal for the club.

He has registered three assists in his first 10 appearances and is currently averaging a direct goal contribution every 191 minutes.

Raphinha has an eye for goal and is averaging 3.5 shots per 90 league minutes in the 2024/25 season. Savinho follows closely behind with 2.7 shots per 90 and Doku is averaging 2.0 shots per 90.

The Barcelona winger also leads the way for chances created as he is making 4.0 key passes per 90 minutes in La Liga, while Savinho is making 2.7 per 90 and Doku averages just 1.8 per 90 in the Premier League.

But Doku comes out on top for successful dribbles per 90 minutes as he is currently averaging 4.9 per 90 minutes, which is a lot more than Savinho (2.7 per 90) and Raphinha (1.5 per 90).

DON’T MISS: Premier League Signings of the Season Power Ranking: Arsenal star 6th, Tottenham striker 7th…