Barcelona's Attack: Raphinha Stays as Adeyemi Joins
Barcelona’s attack is being rebuilt at speed, but one thing, Joan Laporta insists, is not up for debate: Raphinha stays.
Adeyemi next after Gordon
After wrapping up a deal for Anthony Gordon, Barcelona are closing in on another major addition to their front line, with Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi set to follow. The agreement for the Germany international is understood to be worth €22 million, with a further €7 million available in appearance and title-related bonuses.
It is not a blockbuster fee by modern standards, but it is a clear statement. Hansi Flick is being armed with pace, direct running, and depth across the front three. Adeyemi brings all of that.
Laporta, speaking in Dallas, did not bother to hide his excitement.
“We are very excited about Adeyemi. We've liked him for a while. He's dangerous and fast, and Deco handled the signing very well. The news came out when it was meant to,” the president said, underlining both the club’s long-standing interest and the sporting director’s role in pushing the deal over the line.
Barcelona’s summer, once again, is being shaped by tight finances and big ambitions. Yet somehow, they are still finding room to refresh the squad in key areas.
Saudi millions on the table – and rejected
The arrival of Gordon and the imminent signing of Adeyemi inevitably dragged one name into the spotlight. Raphinha. The Brazilian, already fighting for minutes in a crowded forward line, has become a prime target for Al-Hilal, who are readying an offer in excess of €90 million.
Under normal circumstances, a bid of that magnitude for a wide player would test any club’s resolve, let alone one wrestling with long-running financial problems.
Laporta’s answer was blunt.
“Raphinha is going to stay. We have absolutely no interest in him leaving Barca. He is a mainstay. With Gordon and Adeyemi, I see that we are reinforcing the attack, but that doesn’t mean we are going to part ways with Raphinha, who is key for us,” he insisted.
No room for interpretation there. Barcelona want competition, not a reshuffle. They want depth, not a cash-out.
A year of frustration
The conviction around Raphinha is rooted in what he has already shown in Catalonia and, crucially, in what the club believes he can still deliver.
Laporta acknowledged that the 2025-26 campaign carried a sense of regret, with fitness issues biting at the worst possible time. The president pointed out that the former Leeds United winger had been among the standout wide players in world football the previous year, only to be hampered when the trophies were on the line.
“The shame about last season is that he wasn’t able to be at full capacity during that final stretch of the League, Champions League, and Copa. The results would have been different,” Laporta reflected.
That is a bold claim, but it tells you how highly they rate him. In their eyes, a fully fit Raphinha alters the outcome of a season.
Flick’s selection headache
With Adeyemi and Gordon joining an already stacked cast, Hansi Flick now faces the kind of problem every elite coach claims to want and secretly dreads: too many attackers, not enough minutes.
Lamine Yamal, the club’s prodigious teenager, expects to play. Dani Olmo, capable of operating between the lines or wide, will demand a central role in the project. Fermin Lopez brings energy and goals from advanced midfield positions. Ferran Torres, often underestimated, remains a versatile option across the front. Rony Bardghji, another highly rated talent, waits for his chance to break through.
Layer on top of that a fully committed Raphinha, and Barcelona’s front line starts to look like an arms race.
Someone will sit. Big reputations will be benched. The training ground battles at Ciutat Esportiva will be fierce.
But that is precisely the point. Barcelona are chasing a third straight La Liga title and have set their sights on conquering the Champions League in 2026-27. To do that, they know they cannot lean on just one or two stars. They need waves of attackers, different profiles, fresh legs in April and May.
Adeyemi and Gordon change the face of this team. Raphinha, if Laporta gets his way, will still be at the heart of it when the biggest nights of the season arrive.
