Al-Ittihad ready to make Barcelona star one of highest-paid players in the world

Barcelona could be dealt a huge sporting blow in the future as Saudi Arabian heavyweights Al-Ittihad are aiming to entice Raphinha to the Middle East with a bumper contract in the summer, according to Fichajes. Saudi Arabia is keen on bringing football's most prominent faces to their league and Al-Ittihad are ready to make the Brazilian forward one of the highest-paid players in the world.

Raphinha is having a sensational season at Barcelona, and is arguably among the best players in the world this term. The soon to-be 28-year-old has 16 goals and eight assists in 21 games this season and has become one of the most important players for Hansi Flick. The Catalans are at the top of the LaLiga table and are going strong in the Champions League, too.

Raphinha's development into a squad leader and his dramatic increase in output under Flick could easily not have happened at all. As crazy as it sounds, the Blaugrana were actually considering offloading the No. 11 in the summer to generate some funds.

“I remember on vacation, resting, they announced that they were going to sell me and you feel like a commodity. They do what they want with us," Raphinha said in October with reference to his circumstances following the end of last season.

Raphinha continued his rich vein of form in the 5-1 thrashing of Mallorca on Tuesday, scoring twice. He will be crucial to his team bagging three more points and remaining on top of the LaLiga table when they visit the Benito Villamarin to take on Real Betis on Saturday, December 7.