Why I Snubbed Chelsea To Join Barcelona — Raphinha

Barcelona winger Raphinha has opened up on his decision to reject Chelsea to join the Catalans.

Raphinha was strongly linked with a move to Chelsea after Chelsea agreed a deal with Leeds United, only for the Brazilian winger and his agent, Deco, to refuse to agree personal terms with the Stamford Bridge outfit.

He eventually joined Barcelona in a €48m deal plus 12m in add-ons

The 25-year-old has revealed that it has always been his intention to play for Barcelona.

“Rejecting an offer from Chelsea? Yes, because my dream was to wear the Barca shirt,” he told La Vanguardia

“I have followed them since I was young since Ronaldinho arrived. I wanted to be a part of it.

"The desire was stronger than any other proposal, no matter how powerful it was financially."

The Brazilian admitted the difficulty in getting him registered for the season following Barcelona's financing challenge.

“I knew that I might have some difficulties to come and to be registered. But I was also aware of the effort the club was making.

“So I decided to trust and adapt to the economic conditions that existed.”

Raphinha has scored once in five games for Barcelona this season in all competitions.