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Arsenal are closely monitoring the superstar who has starred in Catalonia
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Arsenal are almost expected to be on the lookout for new additions in the January transfer window. Recent performances, such as those delivered by the Gunners in defeats at Bournemouth, Newcastle and Inter have highlighted a lack of creativity when Martin Odegaard isn't available. Odegaard is one of Mikel Arteta's most important players, but the Spaniard is perhaps coming to the realisation that Arsenal need another creative outlet to ease the burden on the Norwegian. Reports in Spain now claim that Arsenal are about to put together a mega-bid to try and tempt Barcelona's Raphinha over to north London. Fichajes. net claims that the Gunners will bid close to €90 million for the Brazilian, who at the moment is arguably one of the most in-form players on the continent. It is no surprise he is a man in demand. Raphinha has played a key role in Barcelona's recent resurgence under Hansi Flick. The 27-year-old has scored 12 goals and 10 assists in just 17 games this season. That means his third season at the Catalan giants, is already his best return in terms of goals. It has also brought his best moment in a Barcelona shirt so far, a dominant player-of-the-match display in a 4-1 Champions League thrashing of Bayern Munich. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. The improvement has rapidly seen Raphinha become one of their most important players. As a result, it is highly unlikely they would be willing to even consider selling, unless Arsenal can stump up a huge fee. It is understandable why. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are both top-class wingers but need support, particularly if the Gunners go deep in the Champions League this year. VIDEO Why Drawing With Liverpool Was Actually Huge For Arsenal Arteta will be well aware his squad could do with an extra attacking option. Raphinha even has prior Premier League experience, spending two years at Leeds United before signing for Barca. The question is, will such an ambitious move be possible? In Four Four Two's opinion, Raphinha would be a superb signing for the Gunners. But the chances of Barcelona letting such an in-form player leave are remote. The front three of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal are arguably the best Barcelona attack since the legendary Messi-Neymar-Suarez trio. Flick's tactical set-up is bringing out the best in the Brazilian. Would he really jeopardise his current situation for a move to Arsenal? Certainly as far as the upcoming January window goes, it appears unlikely. Jack has worked as a sports reporter full-time since 2021. He previously worked as the Chief Women’s Football Writer at the Mirror, covering the England Women’s national team and the Women’s Super League. Jack has reported on a number of major sporting events in recent years including the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on the ground in Australia. When not writing about the game, he can often spotted playing at a pitch somewhere in the west London area. Manchester United and Liverpool chase £54m Chelsea flop: report Manchester City want to REMOVE key detail from Erling Haaland's contract before European giants swoop: report Ajax reveal badge change - and it could spark a revolution among others Four Four Two is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. ©
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