Chelsea have ruled out signing £55m forward, they have lost their interest

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One player who Chelsea are unlikely to sign this month is Barcelona forward Raphinha despite past interest.

Barcelona were hoping that Chelsea would make an offer for Raphinha during this transfer window, according to El Nacional.

However, the same outlet has claimed that the Blues have completely ruled out the possibility of signing the 27-year-old after losing interest in him.

As per The Telegraph, Chelsea actually agreed a £55m deal with Leeds United to sign Raphinha before his eventual move to Barcelona.

The Brazilian ended up joining Xavi’s side for the same fee (BBC Sport).

Chelsea no longer interested in Raphinha

The Raphinha to Chelsea ship now looks to have sailed. Since missing out on him, the Blues have brought in quite a few wide players, including Cole Palmer last summer.

While Palmer’s best position is probably just behind the striker, the 21-year-old has mostly played on the right flank this season and has not disappointed there.

In total, he has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 23 matches for Chelsea.

Speaking about Palmer after the Blues’ 6-1 win against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup, team-mate Ben Chilwell hailed him as a “top player”.

Chelsea also have Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk, with the last of that trio being a very large investment.

There really is not a need, then, for Chelsea to go splash out on Raphinha, a player who rejected the club for Barcelona a couple of years ago.

Ultimately, Mauricio Pochettino can probably be happy with his current wide options, especially Palmer. He would perhaps like more goals from the likes of Mudryk and Madueke, but they are both still quite young and have time to develop into more efficient attackers. Chelsea need to look ahead and not behind — Raphinha should remain old news to them.