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Xavi clarified Barcelona’s stance on Raphinha amid the winger’s transfer rumors to Man Utd and Arsenal.
Xavi has confirmed Raphinha’s position in the Barcelona squad amid speculation linking the winger with a potential summer move to Arsenal.
On Wednesday, the Brazilian scored the game’s first goal in the 65th minute to help Barcelona defeat Real Betis 2-1 on the road and increase their Liga advantage to eight points.
Raphinha, who moved to Spain from Leeds United in the summer, is gradually settling into his new surroundings, and Xavi was really delighted with the forward’s performance and showered him with praise.
The 26-year-old is apparently being watched by United and Arsenal amid rumours of a possible transfer away from Camp Nou at the conclusion of the season, but Xavi believes he will be remaining put because he is under contract until 2027.
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“(Raphinha) has been good, not only for his goal, but also with his defensive work. He’s a criticised player, but he does a lot and we value him a lot,” the Barca boss told reporters.
Xavi added when pressed on speculation over Raphinha’s future: “We will always support Raphinha — he’s the future of Barcelona.”
At the halfway point of the La Liga season, Barcelona has 50 points while only giving up seven goals.
Xavi hailed his troops for churning out a hard-fought victory at a raucous Benito Villamarin and claimed that they put in an improved display from their victory over Girona on Saturday. “I’m very happy with the game,” he said. “We have improved a lot compared to the game against Girona. We played a brilliant game. Today it was key not to lose the ball and we minimised just that. We dominated from start to finish.”
The forward will hope to continue with his good form when Barcelona host Sevilla at Camp Nou on Sunday in another league encounter.