Barcelona's move for PL forward in danger from Liverpool

Football Club Barcelona may be mired in financial difficulties, but that is not stopping the hierarchy from pursuing high value targets across Europe. The Catalan club's president Joan Laporta is keen to bolster the squad after their failure to win a trophy last season.

Barcelona spent an initial €55 million to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City in January, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived on a free transfer from Arsenal. The club is targeting further arrivals both in attack and defense during the summer transfer window.

Leeds United forward Raphinha has emerged as a top target for Barcelona, with club chiefs expected to step up their pursuit in the coming weeks. The Catalan giants would have been hoping for the Premier League club to get relegated, as the Brazilian attacker would have been available for as little as €25 million.

Leeds, however, managed to stay up and are now expected to demand closer to €60 million when interested clubs arrive at their doorstep. Raphinha is open to leaving Elland Road, but is unlikely to push for a move while possessing a contract until June 2024.

According to Sport, Barcelona sporting director Matheu Alemany will travel to England to reopen talks with the Premier League side. Leeds are miffed about Barcelona putting talks on hold to see if Raphinha's relegation clause will kick in owing to their last gasp survival.

The Brazil international is being looked at as a replacement for Ousmane Dembele, who is expected to leave when his contract expires on June 30. The French winger was keen to stay but was unable to reach an agreement with Barcelona.

Raphinha plays in the same position as the 2018 World Cup winner and will be a like for like replacement at the Camp Nou. The Brazilian right winger scored 11 goals in 35 games for Leeds in the Premier League, which included a goal in their 2-1 deadline day win over Brentford.

Barcelona, however, will not have it easy to lure Raphinha to the Camp Nou. Liverpool have entered the race for the Brazil forward following news that Sadio Mane could be leaving the club.

The Reds will be able to match Leeds' valuation without much trouble, and are certain to win any bidding war against Barcelona. Moreover, the Catalan outfit need to offload before they can spend, which will not be an issue for the Premier League giants.

And for Barcelona, Raphinha is not the only high profile target. €50 million rated Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is on top of their wanted list. The club will have to carefully manage their financial issues if they are to avoid losing their top targets to rival clubs.