Man Utd ready to raid Barcelona for wingers

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 4 Feb 2023 09:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United are eyeing a double swoop for Barcelona players Raphinha and Ansu Fati.

Spanish source Cadena Ser claim financial issues will force Barca into selling a big name in the summer, with Raphinha most likely to depart.

It’s thought that Erik ten Hag thinks the former Leeds man would be a great addition to his team due to how the Brazilian performed before in the Premier League. The side are also keeping tabs on the 20-year-old winger Fati.

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Arsenal, who were linked to the attacker over the summer, opted not to pursue a move for Raphinha in the January window.

It comes after Xavi has proclaimed Raphinha as 'the future of Barcelona' amid speculation surrounding the winger's future - though such words could be a way of ensuring they get the right price.

The 26-year-old has struggled to nail down a consistent place in the starting line-up, following his £55m move from the Whites last summer.

It was thought that during the January transfer window, Arsenal were monitoring the player, though it so far appears that he wishes to remain at the club.

Xavi on Raphinha

And indeed, after Raphinha scored in Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Real Betis on Wednesday, Xavi defended his player and claimed he has a good future with Barcelona.

The Barca legend boss told reporters: “Raphinha was good, not only for his goal, but also with his defensive work. 'He's a criticised player, but he does a lot and we value him a lot. We will always support Raphinha — he's the future of Barcelona.”

The Brazilian international has scored five goals and provided seven assists in 28 games across all competitions this campaign - though he has started just ten of the 18 La Liga games that he has competed in.

Xavi also spoke about how improved Barcelona were from their 1-0 win over Girona at the weekend. He said: “I’m very happy with the game. We have improved a lot compared to the game against Girona. We played a brilliant game.

'Today it was key not to lose the ball and we minimised just that. We dominated from start to finish.”