Former Chelsea ace blocked £55m transfer for Clearlake, now he is one of the best players in the world

Add as preferred source on Google

The BlueCo era of Chelsea has seen the club transform from top to bottom, which includes the team on the pitch.

Transfers have become a staple of the Boehly-Clearlake era at Stamford Bridge, as over 50 players have made their way to the west London side.

With Chelsea being so busy in the transfer market, there are naturally a few options they have actually missed out on.

One of which was a £55 million switch for a star who now has the Ballon d’Or in his sights.

A former star stopped that from progressing, though, which will come with plenty of regrets for Todd Boehly and the hierarchy.

• READ MORE: All seven Premier League stars who have won the Ballon d’Or including Cristiano Ronaldo and Rodri

Deco stopped Raphinha’s transfer to Chelsea to complete Barcelona switch

After Chelsea’s takeover was complete in May 2022, the new owners quickly got to work to bring in some new faces.

The Blues saw plenty of players leave during an uncertain spell over the club’s future, so the hierarchy quickly looked at bolstering the ranks.

The likes of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly were signed, with the idea of bringing experience and quality into the team, which was a different angle to how the club operate on the transfer front now.

Along with those was the target of Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger had impressed in his time with Leeds United in the Premier League, so much so that Chelsea agreed an initial transfer fee for him that summer.

However, his agent, former Chelsea star Deco, pushed to get him the move to Barcelona instead.

He confirmed the situation in an interview with Globo, stating: “Raphinha had had a very good year in England and several clubs wanted him. Arsenal, Chelsea… Barcelona were having financial difficulties at the time.

“I already knew that Raphinha’s dream was to go to Barcelona. Xavi wanted him, as did the president… I knew it was complicated because Barcelona might not be able to pay what Leeds wanted.

“That was down to the management, to help make the player’s wish come true. It ended up working out.”

Deco worked hard to ensure Raphinha went to Barcelona, and things ended up going his way.

Now, the 28-year-old is aiming to win the Ballon d’Or, having put in some incredible performances while in La Liga.

• READ MORE: Morgan Rogers says Chelsea have a player who’s way better than people think

Chelsea’s 2022 transfer window failures impacted the change in approach

The 2022 summer transfer window ended up being a difficult market for Chelsea to operate in.

There was a need to rebuild after losing some key players, but many of the big signings ended up being failures.

Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mykhailo Mudryk, Wesley Fofana, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all examples of moves that didn’t or haven’t yet worked out.

It’s little surprise that Chelsea have since changed strategy, looking to find value with the youngsters they sign and later sell.

Raphinha, however, is an example of one who they missed out on.