Barcelona have been given a timely cash injection of £179million as they battle Chelsea for the signing of Leeds winger Raphinha.
Chelsea are currently leading the race for Raphinha and are ready to pay a fee of £55m for him, while offering wages of £115,000 a week.
Barcelona, however, remain keen on the Brazilian and believe he is their preferred next destination if they can match Chelsea’s offer.
The Spanish club have struggled financially of late but have now received a cash boost of £179m after selling 10 per cent of their LaLiga TV rights for the next 25 years to global investment firm Sixth Street.
The deal will generate a total revenue of £230m, with Sixth Street’s initial investment standing at £179m.
The news is a major boost to Barcelona, who are also trying to secure a deal for Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
Arsenal retain an interest in Raphinha, but Barcelona and Chelsea are currently viewed as the front runners.
The Blues are working on other deals too, such as moves for Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus.
Signing a new centre-back is a priority for Chelsea and there is a growing belief that Juve could be tempted into selling De Ligt.
