Chelsea are among the teams “willing to bid” for Barcelona winger Raphinha, according to Sport.

The Catalan publication claims that the Blues, Tottenham and Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal are all likely to table offers for the Brazilian international if he is made available for transfer this summer.

Raphinha is no longer deemed a key player following the emergence of Lamine Yamal, and Barca are said to be hoping to raise funds from his potential sale.

They actually considered offloading him last year, when Newcastle made a formal proposal, but it was ultimately decided that he would stay following Ousmane Dembele’s move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea did try to sign Raphinha at the start of last season

The Blues were involved in a three-way battle for the forward’s services in the summer of 2022 when he was still at Leeds, competing with Barca and Arsenal for his services. However, under the influence of his agent Deco, Raphinha decided to make the move to the Camp Nou.

Ironically, Deco is now the sporting director at the reigning La Liga champions and he could be the one who decides to sell him back to a club in England.

Do Chelsea need to recruit another winger?

Although the London club’s priority for the next transfer window will be to sign a proven No.9, you can’t rule out another wide player being brought in.

It is believed that, despite having to withdraw from the race to sign Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise last August, Chelsea retain an interest in the Frenchman.

If that is the case, it may indicate that Raphinha is being eyed as a potential backup option if they do miss out on Olise. Both Arsenal and Manchester United are known to be pursuing the 22-year-old’s signature so competition for the Palace star will be fierce.