Raphinha says he wants to retire at Barcelona after offering renewal boost

Raphinha has given Barcelona a clear indication that he would like to extend his contract and finish his career at the club, saying he would be happy to remain at Camp Nou until retirement.

The Brazil forward made the comments in a preview of an interview with radio station RAC1, which is due to be broadcast in full later on Friday. His remarks come after several weeks of speculation that Barcelona are considering extending his current deal.

“I renewed my contract until 2028, and at that time my idea was that I would be 30 or 31 by then. I did not know how I would reach that stage,” Raphinha said, according to AS.

“But considering the way I have started this season, I realised that I am capable of continuing for several more years. So, yes, I would be happy to extend my contract a little further and finish my career here, without having to go anywhere else.”

Salary reports emerge

Raphinha’s comments were made as reports suggested that negotiations with Barcelona had become more complicated because of his financial demands.

Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur claimed on his X account on Friday that Raphinha had asked Barcelona to double his current salary as part of any renewal, with the aim of becoming the club’s highest-paid player.

Konur said, according to his sources, that Raphinha had made the request because he knows he could secure a significant wage from other clubs, including Al-Hilal, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Raphinha has made an outstanding start to the season, scoring 11 goals in seven matches in all competitions. That total is higher than any other player in Europe’s major leagues.

Barcelona signed Raphinha from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. Deco was the player’s agent at the time of the transfer before later becoming Barcelona’s sporting director.

During the final weeks of last season, speculation grew that Raphinha could leave, with reports claiming Barcelona were considering selling him. Those stories coincided with rumours of an alleged family crisis that had affected his family’s financial situation.

The player’s prospects were also questioned after injuries affected him during the latter part of the campaign and contributed to a drop in his performances. That uncertainty was linked to a view within Barcelona that “Raphinha is not immortal”, as well as the signings of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.

Despite those doubts, Raphinha remains an influential figure in the Barcelona dressing room and his footballing importance has continued to grow. He scored more than 50 goals across the previous two seasons.

His powerful start to the current campaign has also come in a new role as a central striker. That form has strengthened his case to stay and prompted Deco to act in an effort to retain him.