Analysis: The reasons why Xavi Hernandez is right in not wanting Barcelona to sell Raphinha this summer

Barcelona’s transfer business so far has been a mixed bag. They have already completed three signings in Ilkay Gundogan, Inigo Martinez and Vitor Roque, each of which has the potential to be very shrewd pieces of business.

However, the downside of the transfer window for Barcelona has been their sales, or rather, their lack thereof. So far, only Samuel Umtiti has left, and he departed after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract, meaning that Barcelona did not even receive any money.

As a result of their precarious financial situation, Barcelona will need to make significant sales this summer. The likes of Ferran Torres, Franck Kessie and Clement Lenglet have all been transfer-listed, but a combination of unwillingness to leave and lack of acceptable offers has meant that they all currently remain in Catalonia.

It could reach a situation in which Barcelona may be forced to sell someone that they won’t particularly want to. Raphinha falls into this category, and the Brazilian international has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia this week, to go along with pre-existing interest from Premier League sides.

Despite this, Raphinha has no intention of leaving Barcelona this summer (as covered by Sport). His sole focus is on the second season of his career in Catalonia, which he hopes will be as successful as the first one was.

Xavi Hernandez does not want Raphinha to leave either, as he considers him to be a valuable member of his squad. He has already shown this to be the case when he stepped up once Ousmane Dembele got injured back in January.

Raphinha had a difficult start to his Barcelona career, as Dembele was ahead of him in the pecking order at right wing. However, the Frenchman’s injury gave him a chance to shine, which he dually took. Across the 2022-23 campaign, he registered 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, which is a very impressive feat considering it was his first season at the club.

Raphinha is sure to compete with Dembele on the right wing going forward, and with both in top form, Barcelona will fancy their chances of having another excellent season. Of course, it’s not ideal that the club’s two best wingers are specialists on the right, but it means that rotation is not a problem for Xavi, who is a big fan of both players.

Raphinha can certainly build on the promising start to his Barcelona career, and he deserves to do so. If the club is lining up a big-money sale this summer, it shouldn’t be the Brazilian that is packing his bags.