Renewal in progress: FC Barcelona's plan to retain Raphinha

The renewal of Raphinha has become a matter of state at FC Barcelona. The 'operation shield' of the blue and garnet entity is underway, and the Brazilian is the next major target of the sports management, as his current contract expires in 2027. Given his spectacular performance this season, the Catalans want to ensure his continuity at the club in light of potential interest from Saudi football in signing him.

In this regard, 'Relevo' has reported that the blaugrana '11', who does not have an agent (the previous one was Deco) but rather a couple of trusted individuals, is already aware that the board, led by the Portuguese, is crunching the numbers to make him one of the highest-paid players in the squad.

The institution's idea is to convert the variables in his contract into fixed amounts, a considerable increase that will allow him to jump to the top of the salary scale. The player would thus earn a salary commensurate with his role as a star of the team managed by Hansi Flick and in the football world, where they are already starting to see him as a Ballon d'Or candidate.

Indeed, Raphinha's numbers this season are staggering. In the 40 matches he has played in the 2024-2025 season, the winger has been involved in 41 goals, scoring 25 and assisting 16. These are out-of-this-world figures that reflect the importance and relevance of the Brazilian in the team, of which he is one of the great captains and leaders in the locker room.

Saudi Arabia is still lurking for Raphinha

With that said, at Can Barça, they continue to work to make the renewal of one of the pillars of Flick's project a reality, as Saudi Arabia is still waiting in the shadows for its opportunity to cast its nets over the forward. Last summer, Al-Hilal put 100 million euros on the club's table and promised another 15 'kilos' to the player to finalize his arrival in the Middle East, but it was the '11' who turned down the offer from the Asians.

Now, there may not be any concrete proposal from the Saudis, but their interest in the 28-year-old star remains intact. Therefore, Deco is already taking steps to 'shield' him for the summer, although he has the great advantage of the player's desire, who is hungrier for glory than for money and wants to stay in the City of Barcelona to win as many titles as possible in the coming years. More updates could come in the next few days.