Newcastle reignite interest in Barcelona attacker

Newcastle United continue to express interest in Barcelona star Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger is among the players Barcelona are willing to sell to alleviate their financial troubles.

Newcastle had a bid rejected for him earlier in the summer, which was said to be worth £51m.  According to Spanish reports, the Magpies have reignited their interest in the former Leeds United star, who has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi clubs are reportedly prepared to spend significantly to sign him. However, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo indicates that Newcastle have joined the race to sign Raphinha, although it will not be an inexpensive pursuit, as they will have to spend much more than they did previously.

The report states that Barcelona have already rejected a €65 million bid from an unnamed Saudi side earlier in the transfer window, deeming it below their valuation of the player.

Despite the financial pressure on Barcelona, Raphinha remains insistent that he is happy with the Spanish giants and does not wish to leave the club.

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It is unlikely that the Premier League side will be able to match the spending power of the Saudi clubs.

While Newcastle are owned by the wealthy Saudi-based Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Premier League’s strict financial fair play rules may limit their ability to match the spending power of Saudi clubs without first offloading some of their own players.