Barcelona make firm decision on Raphinha amid Saudi Arabia links | OneFootball

The FC Barcelona players that are currently in North America for the World Cup have not had a very strong start to the competition so far. Barring Jules Kounde and the new signing Anthony Gordon, none of the Blaugrana players were able to help their side to a win in the opening round of matches, as Spain, Brazil, The Netherlands, Egypt, and Uruguay all had to settle for draws.

As a result, the eyes of the Barcelona supporters would once again be on Raphinha, as he is expected to play a leading role for his team when they face Haiti on Saturday. The Canarinha star had to endure quite a difficult night, as he played the full 90 minutes in a physically demanding match against Morocco, and was unable to train with the rest of his teammates for a session.

Meanwhile, the forward has also recently been in the news as reports from Brazil indicated that he might negotiate with clubs from Saudi Arabia after the World Cup, thus making his future at the Blaugrana club somewhat uncertain.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are fully calm about their star forward, as both Deco and Hansi Flick continue to count on him for the next season. The player himself has not communicated to club any change in his commitment to the Blaugrana side, and they have also seen these Saudi sides pushing for Raphinha, without any success, for the last two years.

Things can still change significantly if the forward himself comes asking for departure. But even in that case, he would be allowed to leave only if a big offer comes, and would not be allowed to leave for free, as was the case with Inigo Martinez last year.