“Raphinha will train in England while Leeds are in talks to sell him.
“Barcelona have improved their verbal bid – Chelsea had proposal accepted 10 days ago.”
A telling sign
It seems that the Brazilian’s time in west Yorkshire has indeed come to an end, regardless of what happens in the coming weeks and that will leave many supporters gutted heading into the new campaign.
Raphinha was Leeds’ standout star as they secured their top-flight status on the final day of the 2021/22 season.
Has Raphinha been Victor Orta’s best-ever signing at Leeds?
He finished as Jesse Marsch’s top goalscorer on 11 goals, three more than any other player, whilst he was also one of their more creative outlets, having averaged 1.9 key passes per outing, via WhoScored.
Described as a “magician” by teammate Dan James, Raphinha will leave behind a massive void, even if the Whites hierarchy have taken steps to replace him by bringing in Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord, though there’s no way of knowing if he will make an instant step up to the physicality of the Premier League.
It remains to be seen what sort of fee both Barcelona and Chelsea are offering for the former Stade Rennes dynamo, though it’s believed that Leeds’ asking price is in the region of £65m, which is nearly double what CIES Football Observatory estimate his value to be (£34m).
Either way, Raphinha became an instant fan-favourite at Elland Road and after the departure of Kalvin Phillips to Manchester United, this latest update from Romano is surely going to leave many supporters upset as another quality player is set to leave.
It’s only a matter of time before the Brazil international’s future is resolved.
AND in other news, “Highly serious”: Journo drops big Leeds transfer claim, Marsch will be buzzing…
