Has 27-year-old star Brazilian's stay been the biggest summer positive for Barca?

FC Barcelona has got a remarkable start to their new La Liga campaign, with the club being on a winning streak of four games. Though so far, the Blaugrana club has been excellent in all aspects—defense, midfield, and attack—one name that has been invaluably crucial for the club's success has been club captain Raphinha.

Has 27-year-old star Brazilian's stay been the biggest summer positive for Barca?

Having magnificent stats of six goal contributions, including a hattrick against Valladolid, in the season so far, the Brazilian star has been the backbone of Barca's attack force. However, recent reports suggest an astonishing fact: had situations happened differently, Raphinha wouldn't have been representing the Blaugrana club now. Thus, the question arises: has 27-year-old star Brazilian's stay been the biggest summer positive for Barca?

Since joining the Catalan club in July 2022, Raphinha has been one of the most consistent performers of the club. Boasting staggering records of 51 goal contributions in his 91 appearances for FC Barcelona, the Brazilian winger has been among the few positives for the club during their underwhelming last few seasons.

Being quite impressed by the star winger's performances, various clubs have come in the past to offer him, but things had escalated with Saudi interest this summer. In fact, the Barcelona board had tried to sell him, but a clear refusal from the player is what has kept him tied to the club. As per reports from Diario SPORT, Barcelona was set to accept Al Hilal's €100M offer, including variables, for Raphinha, but the player rejected it.

As per sources, the Saudi Giants Al Hilal had offered Raphinha a €25M yearly net salary, but the player rejected it straight ahead. Having the feeling that he would be forgotten in the world of football if he left for Saudi Arabia, Raphinha decided to stay to be relevant for his national side. But now, it feels that this decision is proving the best in FC Barcelona's favor.

Since being named as one of the club captains this summer, Raphinha has altogether become an unstoppable force under Hansi Flick, leading the attack force from the front. Diario SPORT's reports suggest Raphinha himself is glad that he didn't decide to leave this summer. Overall, Raphinha's stay has proved beneficial for Barca and the player himself, and much would be expected from the winger in the season ahead.