Barcelona winger Raphinha disclosed that he came close to joining Manchester United from Leeds United instead of the Catalan giants and expressed a liking for Arsenal.
The Brazilian featured in a video alongside TikToker Adri Contreras, answering quickfire questions about football and life. In response to a query about teams he was close to playing for, the former Leeds player promptly mentioned Manchester United.
This revelation is intriguing, given the persistent summer 2022 links between Raphinha and Manchester United, which appeared to prompt Barcelona into action, securing his signing from Leeds in a €58 million deal.
While it remains unclear if the winger was genuinely on the verge of a move to Old Trafford, the transfer did not materialise, and he eventually joined Barcelona. Meanwhile, the Manchester club acquired Antony, though the success of either move is debatable.
In the video, Raphinha also revealed a liking for Arsenal. When asked to name a team outside of Spain that he likes, he promptly mentioned the Gunners. This admission may raise eyebrows at the Emirates, as Arsenal, like Manchester United, was occasionally linked to Raphinha during his time at Leeds.
While they did not make a definitive move, it was rivals Chelsea who made a concerted effort to bring him to London. If Arsenal had pursued the matter, they might have discovered a mutual liking.
This disclosure could prompt Arsenal to explore potential opportunities in the future, especially with Catalan media persistently suggesting that Raphinha could be sold this summer if he fails to impress in the coming months.
Raphinha recently suffered a muscle injury that kept him out the Spanish Super Cup which Barcelona ended up losing after a heavy 4-1 defeat against arch-rivals Real Madrid.
He has also been under strict scrutiny from Barca fans as his form took a massive dip and only has four goals and seven assists in 20 matches this season.