Barcelona make a last-gasp bid for Leeds forward Raphinha with proposal short of Chelsea’s

Barcelona have made a late bid for Leeds United’s Raphinha but their proposal still falls short of Chelsea’s accepted £60m offer.

Raphinha’s agent Deco is holding out to see if Barcelona can release more funds following the £229million injection from investment firm Sixth Street for 10 per cent of the club’s TV rights for the next 25 years.

As revealed by Sportsmail, Chelsea have held extensive talks over the in-demand forward, as they look to head off any last-gasp threat from the Nou Camp.

Barcelona have made a late bid for Leeds’ Raphinha, but their proposal is short of Chelsea’s

The Blues have offered a five-year deal worth around £118,000 a week, and agreed a £55m fee plus add-ons with Leeds as they look to wrap up their first summer signing.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have pressed to finalise the move, with Deco spotted in Catalonia on Wednesday while he waits for more news from the LaLiga outfit. 

It was revealed on Tuesday that discussions were advancing after Leeds accepted a bid, with Deco, the former Chelsea midfielder, at the centre of negotiations.

His agent, Deco, has been spotted in Catalonia and will wait to see if Barca gather more funds

Thomas Tuchel will be keen to snap Raphinha up after a fee of £55m plus add-ons was agreed

Chelsea are keen to get the deal over the line, especially after Deco was pictured outside of Barcelona’s stadium with a number of officials from the Spanish club.

Despite them being close to an agreement, Raphinha’s preferred destination would be Barcelona, with his representative doing all he can to explore that option.

Earlier this week, the Blues gatecrashed Arsenal’s bid to sign the winger. 

On a frantic day, Arsenal held talks with Leeds after their initial offer of £30m plus add-ons was rejected last week. They have not come close to Chelsea’s offer.