Saudi giants Al Hilal pushing hard to sign Barcelona winger this summer – Romano | OneFootball

Raphinha’s future has once again become a talking point during the summer transfer window, but Barcelona remain calm despite growing interest from Saudi Arabia. 

The Brazilian international continues to attract attention from Al Hilal, who have made no secret of their ambition to bring an elite attacker to the Saudi Pro League.

In fact, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Al Hilal are continuing to push for the Barcelona winger and remain determined to explore every possible avenue to secure his signature. 

Despite that persistence, though, the situation has not changed from the player’s perspective. 

Simply put, Raphinha’s priority remains to continue his journey at Barcelona and he has no plans to seek an exit.

Al Hilal refuse to walk away

Al Hilal are not giving up on Raphinha. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Interest from Saudi Arabia has been gathering momentum for several months, with Al Hilal identifying Raphinha as one of the marquee names capable of strengthening their attack. 

The club are also working on other high-profile targets, including Mohamed Salah, but they appear particularly keen on Raphinha.

Explaining the current situation, Fabrizio Romano said,

“Raphinha at the moment is still fully focused on Barcelona. So that’s the situation. 

“Then, if later on in the summer, this situation is going to change and in any moment Raphinha could say he opens doors to Saudi. As of today, Raphinha is focused on Barcelona.”

Raphinha’s World Cup campaign ended prematurely. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Raphinha has also chosen not to engage publicly with the speculation following the injury that brought his FIFA World Cup campaign to an early conclusion. 

Instead, his attention is on recovering and preparing for the new season with Barcelona.

Barcelona have no plans to sanction a sale

At present, Barcelona have not received any request from Raphinha or his representatives expressing a desire to move elsewhere, and there is no appetite within the sporting department to negotiate his departure.

Hansi Flick considers the Brazilian one of the leaders in his attacking unit, valuing not only his creativity and work rate but also his influence inside the dressing room. 

Unless there is a dramatic shift in the player’s position later in the transfer window, Barcelona are expected to resist approaches and keep one of their most dependable forwards at Spotify Camp Nou.