Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign a forward who has been described as "one of the best players in the world".
Tottenham looking to shake up attack
Tottenham lost Harry Kane to Bayern Munich during the 2023 summer transfer window. This was, of course, expected to see Spurs' attacking threat diminish a great deal during the current campaign. So far, the Lilywhites have averaged just over 1.97 goals per game in the Premier League, netting 71 in 36 league outings ahead of their meeting with Manchester City on Tuesday.
This is by no means a terrible record and credit should be given to Ange Postecoglou for the work he has done without Harry Kane. But he is no doubt somewhat concerned that Tottenham are, currently, the lowest scorers in the Premier League top seven – two behind Chelsea who have netted 73 despite rather inconsistent form across the campaign.
In turn, it is not surprising to see the north Londoners being linked with several attackers ahead of the 2024 summer transfer window opening up. Reports earlier this week claimed Tottenham have already begun discussions over multiple summer exit moves as chairman Daniel Levy is seeking ways to bolster summer funds and trim the squad down, with a deal for Brentford striker Ivan Toney "on the cards".
There has also been speculation that Richarlison could be moved on in the summer in place of Genoa attacker, Albert Gudmundsson, while intermediaries have reportedly reached out to Tottenham and offered them Barcelona forward, Vitor Roque.
We also covered reports from Spain at the beginning of the week which claimed Tottenham, who were interested in Raphinha before he moved to Barcelona back in 2022, have emerged as a "realistic" option for the winger.
Tottenham offered chance to sign Raphinha
Now, there has been a fresh update on Tottenham's links to the Brazilian. This comes via TBR, who report that Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle have all been spoken to as they are all understood to have indicated an interest in signing Raphinha in recent months.
Barcelona paid £50 million to Leeds United for the winger in the summer of 2022 and TBR add that the Spanish giants expect to make a little profit on him, with Tottenham offered the chance to sign the Brazilian in what is a boost for Postecoglou and co.
Barcelona boss Xavi recently singled the former Leeds man out for praise in the wake of their Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Paris Saint-Germain:
“The real Raphinha is the one we saw in Paris. He’s intense, finds the space, creating chances,” he said in quotes relayed by Fabrizio Romano on X. “He’s one of the best players in the world when it’s the moment to attack the space."
Despite the praise, TBR state that while Raphinha himself is happy at Barcelona, he accepts that his future may lie away from the club if Xavi makes it clear he is not going to be first choice in the long term.
The Brazilian, who is currently valued at around £45m by Transfermarkt, has scored five and assisted nine in 26 La Liga outings this term. In comparison, Dejan Kulusevski – Spurs' current primary right-wing option and the man Raphinha may replace in the XI – has six goals and three assists in 24 Premier League appearances across 2023/24.
