Bayern Munich are thinking about reigniting their interest in Barcelona star Raphinha, per Mundo Deportivo.
The dangerous winger was one of the Premier League's best players during his two years in the division, with ex-manager Marcelo Bielsa hailing him as a 'complete player.'
However, after a summer of transfer links to some of the biggest European clubs last year, Raphinhia finally signed on the dotted line for FC Barcelona.
Despite initially struggling for form and game time, the Brazilian has quickly established himself as a firm favourite amongst the Camp Nou faithful.
It was after a particularly impressive display against Sevilla earlier this year that Barcelona Manager Xavi labelled him "extraordinary."
His strong end to the season in Catalonia helped the Blaugrana win a first LaLiga title since 2019.
What's the latest on Raphinha?
With the Brazilian still performing at an elite level, it should come as no surprise that he has once again attracted the attention of clubs from across the continent, most notably Bayern Munich.
According to a report from Javier Gascon of Mundo Deportivo, the Bavarian club have reignited their interest in the player due to the admiration of Thomas Tuchel.
The Spanish publication reports (via Sky) that the German coach is a 'big fan of the Brazilian winger.'
Gascon reports that, alongside Tuchel's admiration for the player, the Bayern board want to bring in a player of his quality to 'not experience another Bundesliga like the one that recently ended.'
However, should the board want to bring the 5 foot 9 winger to FC Hollywood, they'll have to loosen their purse strings.
Barcelona paid Leeds £55m for his signature just last year, and so any new deal will likely exceed that valuation.
Would Raphinha improve Bayern Munich?
Primarily playing on the right-hand side, Raphinhia would be in direct competition with Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry.
Looking at their season ratings from WhoScored, it is the Brazilian who comes last at 7.04, whereas both Gnabry and Sane sit at 7.10. However, with rankings that close, it is hardly decisive.
Goal involvements, whilst impressive at 14 for the ex-Leeds man, are again lower compared to Sane's 15 and Gnabry's 19.
It doesn't get much better when you look at the underlying numbers, either. According to data from FBref, the Porto Alegre-born winger notches up 0.55 expected non-penalty goals and assists per90, whereas Sane manages 0.62, and Gnabry, a staggering 0.78.
Things balance out more when looking at their passing stats. Whilst Raphinha has the lowest pass completion of all three players at just 66.8%, he does average 2.20 key passes per 90, 0.19 more than Sane and 0.26 more than Gnabry.
Overall, whilst the numbers in isolation are certainly impressive, compared to his competition, they leave a little to be desired.
There is no doubt that Raphinha is a great player, and who knows, a move to Bayern might just bump those numbers up even higher.