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Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has set his sights on one of Barcelona’s best players, according to a transfer insider, but the Gunners are unlikely to be able to bring the Brazilian star to the Emirates Stadium in 2026. There were as many as eight new signings for Arsenal in the summer of 2025, with Berta handing manager Mikel Arteta the likes of Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke. The north London club have one of the best attacking units in the world, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard at the top of their game and Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard chipping in with important goals, too. However, like all other major clubs, Arsenal are always on the lookout for new players, and it seems that one of Barcelona’s best players has now made his way on to Berta’s wishlist. According to transfer journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal could make a move for Barcelona and Brazil international winger Raphinha in 2026. Bailey has claimed that Arsenal want to sign a left-sides forward next year, with the futures of Martinelli and Trossard far from certain. While tipping Rodrygo to be back on Arsenal’s radar despite the Real Madrid winger publicly saying that he does not want to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, the transfer expert has namechecked Raphinha as a player to keep an eye on. Raphinha has been on the books of Barcelona since 2022 when he joined from Leeds United and has won LaLiga twice with the Blaugrana so far. The Brazil international winger has scored 57 goals and given 53 assists in 151 appearances for Barcelona so far in his career. During the 2024/25 campaign, Raphinha, a truly world-class winger, scored 34 goals and gave 26 assists in 57 appearances for Barcelona and came fifth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or ranking. Bailey told Arsenal Insider: “I still think Arsenal will in 2026, I think they will sign a new left winger,” Bailey said. “I do. Obviously, Rodrygo is somebody we looked at before, and I think Rodrygo is going to be on the radar again.” Bailey added: “By the same token, I think we’ll probably talk about Nico Williams again. “We’ll probably talk about Raphinha again, and we’ll talk about [Antoine] Semenyo. “There’s nobody better than him in the Premier League at the moment. Could you see Semenyo on the left in Arsenal’s team? I could.” READ NEXT 🔴⚪ Andrea Berta U-turn COMPLETE as £60m Arsenal star gets Mikel Arteta endorsement – ‘Doing what we expect’ Edu failed to sign Raphinha for Arsenal This is not the first time that Arsenal have been linked with Raphinha, with Edu having earlier tried and failed to bring his Brazilian compatriot to the Emirates Stadium. Then working as Arsenal’s technical director, Edu revealed in July 2022 that he had made contact with Barcelona for Raphinha. Deco, who is now the Barcelona sporting director, was then the agent of Raphinha, and he made it clear to Deco that that Brazil international winger had his hart set on a move to the Blaugrana. Edu told Sky Sports in 2022: “People think we went in too deep about Raphinha, because Raphinha was everywhere. “It’s fair we did have some conversations with Deco because Deco is his agent and I have a good relationship [with him] – we are friends. “I just said to Deco, ‘Can you explain to me the situation with Raphinha?’ and he was clear, ‘Edu, we have a good relationship but I’m not going to lie to you, his idea is to go to Barcelona because he’s dreaming to go to Barcelona, and we’ve been talking to Barcelona since a long time ago’. “Okay, thank you very much, if something happens then just let me know because I can explore and understand the situation. If not, no problem and we carry on with our relationship.” It is unlikely that Berta will be able to succeed where Edu failed, with Raphinha settled at Barcelona and enjoying life in Catalunya. In May 2025, Raphinha extended his contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2028. The winger said at the time: “It’s something very special, and feeling part of the Barca family for another year makes me feel very happy. “I’ve told my family before that my dream is to be here until the end of my career and I hope to be able to do so but at my best level.” Raphinha is at the top of his game at the age of 28 and remains a key figure in Hansi Flick’s side. The winger has scored three goals and given two assists in seven matches in all competitions for Barcelona so far this season. HAVE YOU SIGNED UP? 💫 Get the inside story first by joining our TEAMtalk Facebook channel to receive the latest breaking and exclusive news straight into your Messenger inbox. Latest Arsenal news: William Saliba revelation, Leandro Trossard verdict Just like Raphinha, Arsenal are unlikely to be able to sign a playmaker who would be the perfect successor to Martin Odegaard, with the star set to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2026. The reason why Real Madrid did not bid for William Saliba before he signed a new contract with Arsenal has been revealed. And finally, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s one-word verdict on Leandro Trossard has given a clear indication on whether the Gunners could sell the Belgian in January.
