Report: Club may now secretly be open to selling £55m player to Chelsea after Tuchel really wanted him

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Reports have claimed that Barcelona now may be secretly open to selling Raphinha to Chelsea this summer.

According to AS, the La Liga side may be willing to sacrifice the Brazil international if it allows them to trigger a deal to resign Lionel Messi from PSG.

Raphinha was a key target for the Blues last summer while Thomas Tuchel was in charge of the club.

The German reportedly had ambitions of pairing him with Raheem Sterling on the wings for Chelsea going forward.

Despite Chelsea agreeing a fee with Leeds to bring him in, the player stalled his interest long enough for his dream side, Barcelona, to swoop in and steal him from their grasp.

The winger’s first season since his £55m transfer has certainly not been a failure by any means – his side are closing in on becoming Champions of Spain.

Raphinha could join Chelsea

However, early exits from both European competitions will no doubt have left Raphinha frustrated, especially as they sparked some questions about whether he can perform at the top level.

While the club would never publicly mention this, you have to wonder if this is on their mind when reports come out about him potentially being available this summer.

This could see Chelsea move back for the winger in the summer, as they look to address their weaknesses from what has been a dire campaign on the pitch.

It is likely the new manager will be given the final say on any signings that are made before next season.

It is currently expected that will be Mauricio Pochettino, and it is so far unclear which targets he will look to chase with his new side.