Raphinha has settled his future at Barcelona. The forward has confirmed he would happily see out his career at the Camp Nou.
Speaking in an excerpt from an interview with "RAC1" radio, set to be broadcast in full later on Friday, the Brazilian made his willingness to extend clear after weeks of talk about a longer deal.
"I renewed my contract until 2028, and my thinking at the time was that I would be 30 or 31 years old then, and I did not know how I would reach that stage," Raphinha told the interview, as reported by newspaper "AS".
"But looking at the way I have started this season, I have realised that I have the ability to continue for several more years. So, yes, I would be happy to extend my contract a little and end my career here, without needing to go anywhere else," he added.
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A condition to double the salary?
His comments land amid reports of complications in the renewal talks. The sticking point? A demand from the Brazilian to double his current salary.
Well-known Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur claimed on his account on the "X" platform today that Raphinha has told Barcelona's management he wants double his current salary to become the club's highest earner, in return for agreeing to renew.
According to his sources, the player made the request knowing he could command a big salary elsewhere at clubs such as Al-Hilal, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.
The 28-year-old has been sensational this season, scoring 11 goals in 7 matches across all competitions. No other player active in Europe's major leagues has managed more.
Barcelona signed him from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. The deal was struck while Deco was still his agent, before Deco went on to become the Catalan club's sporting director.
Late last season, the mood was very different. Speculation swirled around a possible exit, with reports of Barcelona's desire to sell him and rumours of an alleged family crisis that hit his family's economic situation.
Injuries in the closing stretch of the campaign sapped his form and fuelled the talk. Inside Barcelona, the conviction grew that "Raphinha is not immortal", a view tied to the signings of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.
None of that has dented his standing in the dressing room. His technical value keeps climbing too, with more than 50 goals over the past two seasons.
Redeployed as an out-and-out striker, he has been in strikingly good form. That has forced its way into the club's thinking and pushed Deco to move to keep him.
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