Chelsea have missed out on their own Ronaldinho as Barcelona seal £55m deal for Tuchel target

There has been an air of inevitability surrounding Barcelona throughout this transfer window. Not just the way that they have sourced money to spend on new recruits or seemingly decided transfer targets based on the interests of other clubs, but the confidence in which it has all happened.

When Chelsea were first reported to be in the position of losing Andreas Christensen to Xavi's side it was a kick, losing a Champions League winning defender for free hurt. Then came the Cesar Azpilicueta reports, that he wanted a move back to Spain. Now Chelsea had to seriously start to prepare for the loss of their captain.

Hope bubbled that the Blues might get one over the Catalan club when Thomas Tuchel's interest in Ousmane Dembele arose. With some twists and turns, he stayed in Spain as well. 3-0 Barcelona.

It wasn't until Todd Boehly had actively swiftly and decisively to tempt Leeds into accepting a £55m offer for Raphinha that any news of Barcelona's own interest in the player surfaced. It felt like a cruel game. It was never to mind though, the likeliness of Joan Laporta finding a way to pay extra for Raphinha was unlikely. That is, until an old Chelsea foe came back to convince the Brazilian that Camp Nou was the place to be.

Ronaldinho, the scorer of one of the most bamboozling goals at Stamford Bridge, was Raphinha's idol, and given he had previously admitted that Barcelona really was a dream destination, Chelsea were just a side thought. 4-0.

Upon the 25-year-old's arrival in Spain it became understandable as to why a move to Chelsea was secondary on his list of priorities. Raphinha has previously said: "I will give everything to help Barca become Barca again. It would be fantastic if I could be half as good as