Arsenal failed with a €70 million (£61.7m) bid to sign Raphinha from Barcelona in January, according to reports in Spain.
Mikel Arteta was keen to recruit a new winger in the January transfer window and had made Mykhailo Mudryk his top target before Chelsea moved in to complete a €100m (£88.5m) deal ahead of the Gunners.
Arsenal moved on quickly after their disappointment with Mudryk as they signed Leandro Trossard in a £27m deal from Brighton.
But according to Sport, Raphinha was also on Arsenal’s shortlist in January and the Gunners sent a €70m (£61.7m) proposal to Barcelona for the Brazil international.
However, the report claims that Barcelona turned down Arsenal’s offer as the club are convinced that Raphinha will be a success at Camp Nou.
After a slow start following his arrival from Leeds United in the summer, Raphinha has impressed in recent weeks with three goals and three assists in his last seven appearances.
Speaking earlier this month, Barcelona head coach Xavi described Raphinha as ‘the future’ of the club.
‘He’s a criticised player, but he does a lot and we value him a lot,’ Xavi said.
‘We will always support Raphinha, he’s the future of Barcelona.’
Both Arsenal and Chelsea had attempted to sign Raphinha from Leeds in the summer but the 26-year-old held out for his favoured move to Barca.
‘My dream was to wear the Barca shirt,’ Raphinha said after his switch to Camp Nou.
‘I have followed them since I was young, since Ronaldinho arrived. I wanted to be a part of it. The desire was stronger than any other proposal, no matter how powerful it was financially.’
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