'His new deal...' Barcelona's President Joan Laporta reveals Raphinha's future at the club

FC Barcelona have had a splendid 2024-25 season with a domestic treble in their kitty. Nobody, not even the management, may have dreamt of such a wonderful season when the ride started last year. However, FC Barcelona's young squad exceeded expectations under their new manager, Hansi Flick, to bag La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España.

As the calendar ticks towards a new season, club president Joan Laporta will be busy renewing the contracts of several key players to secure the club's future. One such player of immense importance is the captain himself, Raphinha.

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Barcelona's President confident of renewing Raphinha's contract 

Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, asserted Raphinha's contract as a top priority for the club. The president praised the partnership of Raphinha and manager Hansi Flick. Laporta described him as the leader of the pack who deserves more playing time in Barcelona.

“What Flick has done with Raphinha is extraordinary and he has emerged as captain of this team. He even campaigned by handing out stickers so that they would vote for him. In addition, in the city he is also very comfortable. Closing his continuity is one of the pending issues that we have for these next days or weeks. We don’t want to have any player who has one year left on his contract. We want them to have more years because they have earned it and because we are also interested as a club in maintaining this group, which is a winner.” Laporta said.

“Raphinha’s new deal will happen. Deco has a strong connection with Rapha. The player feels very involved with the project. We will reach an agreement because we want him to stay and he wants to stay.” Laporta added.

Raphinha has emerged as the top contender for the next Ballon d'Or. He has already made 60 goal contributions this season, netting 35 goals and providing 25 assists. He may end up as the highest goal scorer in this season's Champions League with 13 goals. His contributions were vital in Barcelona's domestic glory and journey to the UCL semis.

Raphinha's growth has been no short of a fairy tale. Earlier, the Brazilian himself disclosed that he was thinking of loaning himself out of FC Barcelona after going through some very challenging seasons under Xavi. He felt underconfident and often got substituted out of the game. Under Xavi, the Brazilian only managed to score 20 goals and provided 23 assists in 87 appearances.