Alan McInally: Leeds United should beg Raphinha to stay in January
Alan McInally has urged Leeds United to do everything they can to hold on to Raphinha beyond the January transfer window.
The South American attacker, 25, has been linked with Bayern Munich ahead of next month, with TNT Sports Brazil reporting on Christmas Eve that an agreement has been reached for him to join the Bundesliga giants in the winter.
McInally reckons losing such an influential player could harm the survival chances of Leeds, and he said on The Group Chat for Betfair that they should plead with him to stay if it comes to that.
The Sky Sports pundit said: “Beg him to stay, and I’m being serious, beg him to stay. You’ve got a player who plays for the Brazilian national team, Who’s got a goal, who changes games, who influences players around him. He’s a really, really good football player. If you watch him live, he’s excellent.
“And by the way, there is a bigger picture here. People were asking at the start of the season would he get five goals, 10. Is he good enough? Without him not in the team as well, they are a much weaker team without Patrick Bamford, especially without Kalvin Phillips, and Raphinha has been the main man. It is going to be tough if he goes naturally, but they have to try and keep him.
“How much would Leeds have in the bank to spend in January? £40million, £50mil max? Who wants to go to Leeds? Who can they get? Would Bielsa get the money they get from Raphinha to spend? The answer to your question is genuinely, beg him to stay.”
True
The Whites have pull out all the stops to keep the former Rennes star until the end of 2021-22.
With eight goals and an assist to his name so far this term, Raphinha has been directly responsible for half of the 18 goals they have managed to score in the Premier League.
Losing such a player is the last thing they need right now, and the fact that he is one of the few that have managed to remain fit amid the constant injuries ravaging the squad speaks volumes.
Bamford, Dan James and Rodrigo have been unavailable for selection in recent games due to knocks, and Raphinha is the one that has kept the team going.
Leeds could lose him for a lot of cash in the summer, but some of his suitors could be open to moving for him early.
With most of them featuring in the Champions League knockout stages and strongly challenging for silverware, a January deal could tempt the Brazilian.
The Elland Road outfit cannot allow that to happen if they want to be playing in the top-flight in 2022-23.
In other Leeds United news, Whites chiefs recently jetted out of the UK for talks.