Spanish newspaper Sport reports that the 29-year-old Brazilian plans to work with Ali Barat as his new adviser. Raphinha has not been represented by an agent for several years and has always handled his contract talks himself.
That move to Barat, a certainly notorious figure, and his agency Epic Sports Football comes in the middle of negotiations over a new contract at Barca. Various media outlets had reported that an agreement between the parties was already all but in place, with only the final details still to be settled.
Working with Barat, however, could mean the negotiations have to be reopened completely. Players do sometimes change advisers during ongoing contract talks to push through financial demands more effectively. Ultimately, Raphinha's contract signing could therefore become more expensive for Barca than expected.
At the Catalan club, the 29-year-old is reportedly earning around €16.5 million gross per year. His current contract runs until 2028. In the past, the player repeatedly stressed that he actually wanted to end his playing career at Barcelona.
How many goals has Raphinha already scored for FC Barcelona?
This season, Raphinha is proving to be something of a life insurance policy for Barca. With no new high-profile centre-forward signed following Robert Lewandowski's free transfer departure, and Atletico Madrid paying no attention whatsoever to the interest in Julian Alvarez, Raphinha is currently leading the line and has been convincing there.
Across eight competitive matches, the Brazilian has already scored an incredible 14 goals and directly set up three more. In LaLiga, he leads the scoring charts comfortably ahead of Sergio Camello (Rayo Vallecano), team-mate Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), all of whom have "only" seven goals.