EXCLUSIVE: Marco Asensio WILL join Barcelona, Raphinha to be sold

Steve Kay

• Updated: 13 Mar 2023 08:11 GMT
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Marco Asensio will join Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer, FootballTransfers can reveal, and the knock-on effect is that Raphinha will be sold by the Catalan side.

Asensio is out of contract at the end of the season at which point he will be a free agent and eligible to sign for whichever team he chooses.

The Spain international, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €22.7 million, has been linked to several major clubs. In the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester United have been most closely associated with the 27-year-old but they are set to be disappointed as Asensio has decided to move to Barcelona.

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FootballTransfers has been told by sources close to the situation that the player’s mind is made up and he will be bound for Camp Nou when his contract expires.

Madrid would typically put a block on such a move, but with Asensio, who the local press report is “angry” with the Bernabeu club over his lack of playing time, being out of contract at the end of the campaign, the situation is entirely outside their control.

Contract talks, meanwhile, have reportedly broken down between Los Blancos and the player, who has been on their books since signing from Mallorca in 2014 and has played over 260 times for the club in all competitions, scoring 56 goals., including the final strike in Saturday's 3-1 win over Espanyol.

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Asensio in, Raphinha out at Barcelona

Raphinha is set to be collateral damage from the Asensio deal. The Brazil international only joined from Leeds in the summer of 2022 and has struggled to hit the heights Barca wanted of him, although his performances since the World Cup have represented a broad improvement.

From Barcelona’s perspective, though, their financial difficulties mean that selling the 26-year-old is a potentially profitable venture, particularly as his stock remains high in the Premier League after starring over two seasons for the Elland Road side.