RAPHINHA PRAISES ESTEVAO TALENT BEFORE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GAME
Barcelona's Raphinha hails teammates Lamine Yamal and Chelsea's Estevao, predicting the teenage sensations will be among the "world's best" players.
Before Tuesday's Champions League game at Stamford Bridge, Barcelona winger Raphinha spoke about how Lamine Yamal and Chelsea's Estevao are compared.
You can see why Yamal and Estevao are considered two of the most talked-about young players right now.
Even though they're only 18, they've become key players for their clubs and countries.
Cucurella, who plays with Estevao at Chelsea and Yamal for Spain, has said they're both special players.
Raphinha plays with Yamal at Barcelona and Estevao for Brazil, so he probably knows them pretty well.
I think they're both amazing players, Raphinha said Monday about Estevao and Yamal.
I think they'll be among the best players in the world in the next few years.
They're really talented, and how far they go is up to them. They're doing all the right things.
I try to share what I've learned, but they have the talent. They're going to be great for years to come.
Raphinha almost went to Chelsea.
Raphinha joined Barcelona in the summer of 2022, but Chelsea was also interested in him.
I really wanted to play for Barça. "I believed it would happen, and here I am," he said.
After my last game for Leeds, I knew that both Barça and Chelsea wanted me.
They're both great teams, but I had a dream to play for Barça. I did everything I could to make it happen and didn't consider other teams.
Raphinha played briefly in Barcelona's win over Athletic Bilbao last weekend, after being out for two months with a hamstring injury.
It's not sure if he'll start at Stamford Bridge, especially after Ferran Torres played so well against Bilbao, scoring twice.
Barcelona also has Marcus Rashford, who is on loan from Manchester United, as another option on the left wing. He missed the game last weekend because he was sick, but he is in London.
OFFICIAL DECISION: BARCELONA INFORM MARCUS RASHFORD THEY WANT HIM TO STAY AT CAMP NOU
Barcelona plan to keep Marcus Rashford permanently despite financial hurdles. See the latest on his £26m clause and United future.
Barcelona really do want to keep Marcus Rashford, but they’re not so sure about paying the full £26 million buyout clause in his loan deal from Manchester United.
It’s only been a little over a year since Rashford last played for United. After that, Ruben Amorim pushed him out of the first team. Rashford bounced back with a solid loan spell at Aston Villa, then landed at Barcelona last summer on a season-long deal. The club got an option to make it permanent.
So far, this move feels like a win for everyone. Rashford has scored seven goals and set up 11 more in 26 games, and Barcelona is sitting four points clear at the top of La Liga. He looks like a new man—sharper, more driven—and now he’s a big piece for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad heading into the World Cup.
There’s still been some debate about whether Barcelona will lock him down for good, since he hasn’t totally nailed down a starting spot. Just this week, he started on the bench for their Super Cup semi-final win over Athletic Club.
Now, with El Clásico against Real Madrid in the Super Cup final coming up on Sunday, a lot of eyes are on Rashford to see how much he’ll feature.
Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim got sacked last Monday, which could open the door for guys like Rashford and Jadon Sancho to return to United. But according to The Athletic, United doesn’t plan to bring them back. Barcelona, on the other hand, has decided they want Rashford to stick around at Camp Nou after this season.
Still, Fabrizio Romano reports that Barcelona isn’t exactly rushing to trigger that buyout clause, and any final call probably won’t come until closer to the summer. Their finances play a big part in this—plus, Rashford’s £350,000-a-week salary, which Barcelona is currently covering in full.
The £26 million fee already looks like a bargain for a player of Rashford’s ability, and with the way he’s been playing, United aren’t likely to settle for less.
Either way, Rashford seems happy in Spain. He’s made it clear he wants to stay, and there are even rumours he’s hoping to link up again with ex-United teammate Kobbie Mainoo.
OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION: LA LIGA CLEARS BARCELONA TO SIGN A REPLACEMENT FOR INJURED ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN
Barcelona finalises Joao Cancelo’s return as La Liga approves injury cover. See how Deco used Andreas Christensen’s salary for the signing.
Mundo Deportivo reports that La Liga’s Medical Commission has officially recognised Andreas Christensen’s long-term injury. That means the Danish defender will miss about five months.
With that confirmation, Barcelona can now use 80% of Christensen’s salary margin under Financial Fair Play to bring in a replacement.
While the club hasn’t made it official yet, Joao Cancelo is set to fill that gap. He’s currently at Al-Hilal, but all signs point to him heading back to Barcelona.
Christensen tore his left ACL during a training session at the end of 2025. As soon as they got the bad news and realised he’d be out for months, Barça started looking for someone who could step in.
Finding a new centre-back during the January window is tough—Deco said as much. So, they turned to Cancelo, the Portuguese full-back, as the best option available.
Cancelo wants to come back. He played for Barcelona in the 2023/24 season and is keen to return. Everything’s lined up for his move, and the club expects to wrap up the signing next week, once the team gets back from Saudi Arabia.
Now that La Liga has cleared Christensen’s injury status, there shouldn’t be any problem registering Cancelo after the transfer goes through.
He’s coming in on a simple loan—no buy option for now. Even so, Cancelo hopes to stick around beyond this season.
Deco explained why they went for Cancelo over another centre-back: “We’re getting Ronald back, and the coach already said that gives us another centre-back. Cancelo means Eric doesn’t have to play as a fullback so much, which isn’t really his spot. Plus, Kounde can move inside if we need. It gives us options we just didn’t have before.”
As for Christensen, it’s unlikely he’ll play again this season. Still, Barcelona has decided to give him a one-year extension, since his contract ends this summer.