Arsenal wanted to sign Raphinha last summer when he was at Leeds before the Brazil international winger completed a £55m dream move to Barcelona; Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, completing a deal for the winger worth £88.5m
Sunday 15 January 2023 20:15, UK
Arsenal are thought to be keeping an eye on Raphinha's situation at Barcelona after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea.
Mudryk was not the only forward player Arsenal have been looking at in this window and the club will remain prepared for an opportunity if it arises.
Raphinha is a player Arsenal were tracking last year.
The Gunners made a bid to sign Raphinha last summer when he was at Leeds, prior to the Brazil international winger completing a £55m move to Barcelona.
Raphinha said "it's a dream come true since I was a kid" when he joined Barcelona.
But the move has not gone as well as he would have liked, with the winger starting just seven games in LaLiga this season.
Chelsea completed the signing of Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday in a deal worth £88.5m.
Mudryk previously indicated Premier League leaders Arsenal were his preferred destination in a series of social media posts. Arsenal remained in talks as recently as Friday but were prepared to walk away from the transfer if the deal was not right.
But Chelsea agreed a deal with Shakhtar on Saturday night and the 22-year-old travelled to west London to complete a medical before signing an eight-and-a-half-year deal.
"I'm so happy to sign for Chelsea," Mudryk said.
"This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career. I'm excited to meet my new team-mates and I'm looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff."
Gary Neville on Super Sunday:
"Chelsea have gone all out for him and Arsenal will be disappointed.
"I was at Arsenal's last Premier League against Newcastle, where they didn't have a substitute to bring on, and obviously they have [Gabriel] Jesus injured, so they need someone.
"They haven't given it the priority, Chelsea have nipped in, they have an army of forwards and it's an ambitious project shall we say at Chelsea."
Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window opened on Sunday January 1, 2023 and closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
