Barcelona Relieved as Al-Hilal Pursues Salah Instead of Raphinha

Barcelona have been waiting for bad news all summer. For once, it hasn’t arrived.

The Catalan club, braced for a renewed Saudi assault on Raphinha, have been handed a timely reprieve as Al-Hilal shift their focus towards Mohamed Salah, easing immediate fears over the Brazilian’s future at Spotify Camp Nou.

Saudi gaze moves from Camp Nou to Anfield

Al-Hilal’s interest in Raphinha has never been a secret. The Saudi Pro League powerhouse have tracked him for months and were widely expected to come again after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, armed with another huge offer to tempt him away from Barcelona.

Now the picture looks different.

According to SPORT, Al-Hilal have intensified their push to land Salah from Liverpool, placing the Egyptian at the top of their attacking wishlist and, crucially for Barça, pushing Raphinha down the pecking order.

The Saudi club have reportedly put forward an ambitious proposal for Salah: a three-year contract with an option for a fourth and a net salary of €20 million per season. That figure mirrors the financial package believed to have been prepared for Raphinha, underlining just how serious Al-Hilal are about securing a marquee forward this summer.

The pressure that once sat squarely on Barcelona’s right flank has suddenly shifted towards Anfield.

Raphinha’s focus: treatment room, not transfer room

Raphinha remains on Al-Hilal’s shortlist, but not as the headline act. For Barcelona, that subtle change matters.

Recent reports suggested the winger had asked Al-Hilal to revisit talks once his World Cup commitments with Brazil were over. Any negotiations, though, are on hold for one simple reason: his body, not his contract, demands his full attention.

The 27-year-old is currently immersed in an intensive rehabilitation programme, squeezing in three training sessions a day as he races the clock to be fit for a potential World Cup quarter-final on July 5, should Brazil navigate their upcoming knockout tie.

For now, his world is reduced to treatment tables, gym work and the hope of pulling on the Brazil shirt again before the tournament is over. Transfer intrigue sits in the background.

Echoes of 2024 – but a different outcome?

Barcelona know exactly how serious Al-Hilal can get when they want a player.

In the summer of 2024, shortly after Hansi Flick took charge, the Saudi side launched an extraordinary bid to prise Raphinha away from Spain. The offer on the table then was staggering: a three-year deal worth €100 million net. The winger later admitted that such numbers forced him to think hard about his future.

That episode left Barça under no illusions. Saudi money could test any player’s resolve and any club’s financial nerve.

This time, though, the dynamic has shifted. With Al-Hilal channelling their energy and resources into Salah, the immediate threat of losing one of Flick’s most important wide men has softened. Barcelona still know Raphinha is an attractive option for the Saudis, but he no longer looks like the first name on their summer agenda.

For a club wrestling with financial constraints and a coach trying to build continuity in attack, that small twist in the market could prove decisive.

The question now is simple: if Salah becomes Al-Hilal’s next statement signing, does Raphinha’s long-term future at Camp Nou quietly stabilise, or is this just a pause before the next storm?