Chelsea are said to be moving fast to complete the transfer of Leeds United winger Raphinha, hoping to beat out rivals Arsenal to his signature. The Blues have outbid Arsenal for Raphinha and look set to beat Barcelona and other interested parties to a summer transfer.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea are in the lead after verbally agreeing to pay Leeds more than £55 million for his services. A deal has not yet been completed, but other rumors suggest that new owner Todd Boehly is rushing to settle personal matters.
According to CBS Sports, Chelsea has already met with former player Deco about Raphinha's contract and hopes to reach an agreement within the next 48 hours. After Marina Granovskaia's departure from Stamford Bridge, Boehly is taking the lead in negotiations and could make Raphinha his first signing.
The 25-year-old was thought to be holding out for a dream move to Barcelona this summer, but the Spanish giants' financial woes have reportedly denied Xavi of a high-profile signing. Meanwhile, Arsenal has yet to indicate whether they are willing to match Chelsea's offer after having their initial bid rejected.
Report has it that the Gunners have not yet conceded defeat and may still launch a counter-bid to Chelsea's, but the Blues are confident they will get a deal done as they speed up the process to agree personal terms.
