Should Chelsea abandon its Raphinha pursuit at this point?

To say Chelsea has been relatively slow in the transfer market up to this point would be an understatement. The Blues have preferred to focus on some of the more important internal tasks since Todd Boehly took over as manager, which they have seemingly finished by now. The new regime sorted out the season ticket issue, cleaned house in regards to the board and shipped off the biggest blemish in the team, Romelu Lukaku. The next item on Boehly’s to-do list is sort out incoming transfers, and this is where the fun comes into play.

The sanctions and other issues that needed addressing at the club have both contributed to Chelsea coming off the block late in the race for Premier League supremacy in 2022/23. Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham have hit the ground running, making numerous additions to strengthen their respective squads thus far. Meanwhile, the Blues and Manchester United have lagged behind—the only difference being the former has an excuse for its inactivity. Chelsea made a move for a player who was set to be its first signing late last month when it agreed to a £60 million transfer for Raphinha with Leeds United. However, there has been no development since due to the fact that the player has not agreed to personal terms.

Should Chelsea abandon its pursuit of Raphinha after 10 days of waiting?

The Blues have put an offer out there on the table for the Brazilian’s representatives to look over. If reports are to be believed, it’s a relatively lucrative offer, as well, that would keep the soon-to-be former Leeds United winger in west London for at least the next five years. Chelsea—specifically Boehly, who is handling all negotiations—sent this offer to Raphinha quickly as the club wishes to act quickly in the transfer market this summer. However, there has been no reply from either Raphinha or his agent, Deco.

Raphinha is said to be waiting for Barcelona to swoop in and hijack the transfer. He’s had an agreement with the Blaugrana on personal terms since the turn of the year, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, and he intends to honor that gentlemen’s agreement. But the issue is Barcelona currently cannot afford to meet Leeds’ asking price, as the Blues did on June 29. This begs the question: should Chelsea end its pursuit of the 25-year-old after waiting for his answer for more than a week?

Many fans take issue with the fact that the Blues are seemingly his second choice. As my colleague Olaoluwa Nwobodo so graciously put it recently, this thought process is nonsense. The concern is not so much about Raphinha ‘not wanting Chelsea,’ but rather the player wanting to join Barcelona so badly that he’s willing to jeopardize a move to the Blues to achieve his dream transfer. Only the player—and perhaps his agent—knows how long he is willing to hold out amidst the Blaugrana’s growing interest. A precedent has been set before, and we now know that players will wait a long time to earn a move to the Catalan club amidst its financial troubles.

The problem is that Chelsea cannot afford to play the waiting game much longer. We’re already a month into the transfer window and the Blues haven’t made a single signing. Raheem Sterling’s move to west London is imminent, but if Chelsea has any hope of a fluid attack next season, it needs to bring in a right winger before the end of preseason. The Blues cannot sit and wait for Raphinha’s answer for another 10 days seeing as the season starts in less than a month. They would look foolish if, after another extended period of time, his answer remains unchanged and he ultimately rejects a move to SW6. It’s clear that Thomas Tuchel thinks very highly of the Brazilian, which is a promising sign. That being said, he’s not special enough to receive preferential treatment like some of the world’s biggest superstars.

Chelsea needs to set a deadline for Raphinha to make his final decision soon. This would be in the best interest of the Blues as they continue to shop in the summer transfer market for targets that would improve the team in key areas. Doing so may result in the severing of relationships between the club and the player for good, but Chelsea cannot wait around for Raphinha as it looks to rebuild during this pivotal period.

What do you think the Blues should do in this situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!