Federico Pastorello said on Monday that Simone Inzaghi "has not requested the signing of Raphinha Diaz, as has been rumored in the last few hours," and that the coach has put all transfer business on hold until the season ends.
Pastorello added: "Inzaghi has decided to postpone all matters related to new signings or the list of possible departures at the end of the current season. Inzaghi does not want the market to distort a team focused on the final stretch of the championship." The statement landed as rumor mills around a potential summer move for Raphinha intensified.
Those rumors include strong Saudi interest. Saudi clubs are believed to be willing to spend €90 million on Raphinha this summer, and al hilal fc have been mentioned in coverage of that market pressure as they chase domestic silverware.
Al-Hilal sit second in the Saudi Pro League with four games left, five points behind leaders Al-Nassr and holding a game in hand — a narrow margin that underlines why neither Inzaghi nor his representatives want transfer speculation to unsettle the run-in.
On the other side of the equation is the player and his form. Raphinha signed a contract extension with Barcelona until 2028 in May 2025, has registered 19 goals and eight assists in 31 appearances this season, and missed 23 matches for club and country because of injuries. Barcelona originally paid Leeds United €58 million for Raphinha in 2022.
Public signals from the player’s camp have not encouraged a sale. The Brazilian does not want to move, and Raphinha’s wife has laughed off recent transfer talk. Still, Premier League clubs — Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool — have also been named among interested parties, ensuring multiple bidders could emerge if Barcelona were to decide to test the market.
National-team coach Hansi Flick has commented on Raphinha’s condition and contribution, saying: "Rapha is one of those players who always gives 100% on the pitch and in training. His attitude is always the same: he gives his all. He's struggled this season, but it's important for us that he's back," remarks that underline the player’s value despite an injury-hit campaign.
The context is simple but consequential. Talk of Saudi interest in Raphinha had re-emerged ahead of the summer transfer window; clubs in Saudi Arabia are reportedly ready to pay well above what Barcelona paid in 2022. Barcelona, however, face the choice of weighing a lucrative offer against a player under contract until 2028 who has delivered goals and assists when fit.
The tension is between the money on the table and the player's stated unwillingness to move, compounded by Barcelona’s own reluctance to act without a formal written offer. Pastorello’s clarification that Inzaghi never requested the signing — and his insistence that transfer decisions be deferred — highlights a club and coach determined to protect their immediate objectives from the pull of high-value speculation.
The single unanswered question now is whether Barcelona will accept a €90 million-plus bid for a player under contract until 2028 who does not want to leave; the answer will decide whether the summer becomes a bidding war or a non-event for all parties involved.
