Raphinha reacts to 'life-changing' Saudi Pro League offer | OneFootball

Barcelona winger Raphinha has confirmed the existence of a hugely lucrative offer to join the Saudi Pro League, but his response also seems to suggest that a new contract in Catalonia is preferred.

Raphinha has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround over the past 12 months. Last summer, the Brazilian looked like he would be pushed out as the club very publicly courted Nico Williams. But after a sensational 2024/25 campaign so far, he is considered a genuine Ballon d'Or contender.

In recent days, however, there has been reporting of a proposal to join Al Hilal on a contract worth €220m over five years, with a €100m transfer fee to Barcelona. Raphinha has remarkably confirmed that he would have taken it had the offer come last summer when he was in a very different place.

"Someone sent me news of the offer from Saudi Arabia, and honestly, I was very surprised because the numbers are very, very high. Honestly, if I had received this offer last year, I think I would have gone," the former Leeds United star told TNT Sports Brazil.

"At that time, I was in a bit of a psychological breakdown, and this offer would solve everything in my life, my wife's life, and my family's life. It was an amount of money that would change our lives completely," he added.

Raphinha has been offered €44m per season in Saudi Arabia / Alex Caparros/GettyImages

Raphinha suggested that every player would be tempted by such an offer, claiming it is naive to believe anyone could simply reject a Saudi Arabia move out of hand. But with this season panning out how it has – it's 53 goals and assists in 49 appearances for him, with a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble still possible – he is more "closed" to money and "open" to dreams.

"Anyone who says he won’t go is lying, because it's impossible to see numbers of this magnitude and not think that this offer will change your life, and that you might go," he said.

"I was thinking that I had a lot to offer here in Europe, I still had a lot to offer this club, and I still had a great opportunity to continue representing the national team. This is what made me close my ears a little to money, and open my mind more to my dreams."

So while there are suggestions that Raphinha isn't happy about Barcelona's current offer for a new contract, remaining with the club could still align better with his ambitions than taking Saudi money and running.