Chelsea dealt mammoth Raphinha blow and it could really impact West Ham

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Barcelona have allegedly matched Chelsea in the race to sign Raphinha and that is unfortunately bad news for West Ham.

That’s according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs who claims that Barca have lodged a bid for the Leeds star that matches the one submitted by Chelsea.

READ…Report: Chelsea eyeing blockbuster £80m deal that could be devastating for West Ham

This is very bad news for West Ham, for two reasons really.

Hammers boss David Moyes is allegedly keen to bring Leeds ace Raphinha to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.

So Barcelona and Chelsea battling it out for the left-footed winger is an obvious problem for us.

Sure, West Ham signing the 25-year-old Brazilian would be highly unrealistic this summer. And most Hammers fans have kind of made peace with the fact that Moyes won’t be bringing Raphinha to East London in the summer transfer window.

There is another real issue at play here though…

Chelsea missing out on Raphinha could really impact West Ham

Ben Jacobs reckons that Barcelona have matched Chelsea’s offer for the Leeds ace.

Leeds want around £65 million for Raphinha and the Blues thought that they pretty much had a deal wrapped up to sign him (Daily Mail).

If Thomas Tuchel brings the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge, the likelihood of him allowing Armando Broja to leave will increase tenfold.

And that will obviously be good news for West Ham.

However, the problem is that if Barcelona win the race for the Leeds star, Chelsea may well then decide to keep hold of Broja.

And you don’t have to be a genius to know that that will be very bad news indeed for the Hammers.

The 20-year-old Albanian would be a truly sensational addition to Moyes’s ranks at the London Stadium this summer. He has absolutely everything that the Scot usually looks for in a striker, what with his physical strength, work-rate and finishing ability.

Signing Broja would undoubtedly take West Ham to another level entirely.

The Hammers might not be able to sign the Blues centre-forward if Barcelona win the race for Raphinha though.

Losing out on Raphinha would obviously be a big blow for Chelsea but it could have huge consequences for West Ham as well.

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