Sometimes, in the world of football, transfers that seem destined to be completed end up falling through for one reason or another, leaving the question hanging: what would have happened if such and such a player had arrived at my favorite team?
In the case of Barça, the situation in the attacking area could have been very different, or not, if the Blaugranas had pursued their interest in a relatively unknown winger from Fluminense named Luiz Henrique instead of almost betting 60 million euros on Raphinha, a situation that almost materialized in the summer of 2022.
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Barça opted to sign Raphinha instead of pursuing Luiz Henrique. According to Diario Sport, the team was very close to signing Luiz Henrique, a 23-year-old winger who is reportedly joining Botafogo after a good stint at Real Betis.
In 2022, the club needed strong signings to revive its project after passing financial levers, and one of the names that generated a lot of buzz was Luiz Henrique, a player who at that time was standing out at Fluminense and generating interest from other La Liga teams.
However, the sports management preferred to bet 58 million euros plus variables on Raphinha, a player who shone in the Premier League with Leeds United. With Raphinha signed, Barça’s interest in Luiz Henrique faded, and Real Betis took on the gamble that the Catalans did not want to face, signing him for a figure close to 8 million euros.
If Luiz Henrique had signed for Barça, would his sporting situation have been different? Or would he have suffered the same fate as he does today at Real Betis? The truth is that Luiz Henrique is set to leave Europe in the coming days, so it could be said that Barça dodged that bullet in 2022 and hit the mark by betting on Raphinha.
