Barcelona May Consider Offloading Raphinha 5 Months After Hijack

Barcelona are considering offloading Raphinha just five months after his fairytale signing from Leeds last summer, per Goal.

Even if the reports are hard to believe, there are reasons why they just might be true.

Raphinha wants Dembele's position

Raphinha has told Xavi that his best position is on the right-wing but Ousmane Dembele also came out to state that he prefers that position. The decision rests on Xavi and it seems he would continue playing Dembele in that position, not Raphinha.

The fact is, Dembele has been producing a lot of quality from that right-wing.Tthere's simply no need to change. So far, the Frenchman has registered five goals and seven assists in just 20 games.

What it means is that Raphinha would continue to play out of position at Barca. In that case, his productivity may continue to decline and he could ultimately become a bench warmer.

Another big problem for Raphinha is that Barcelona have players who can offer as much quality in his position. The names roll out the tongue - Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and even Memphis Depay.

Thus, Xavi is likely to keep rotating his forwards which means Raphinha wouldn't have a lot of time to prove himself a player worth €60m.

Word on the street is that the 26-year-old will be assessed at the end of the season. Barca expects him to perform better than his 2 goals and 4 assists in 18 games so far. If he doesn't up his game, the 26-year-old is likely to be on his way back to England.

Source: Tribuna