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Ben Jacobs: Arsenal could come back in for Leeds United winger Raphinha
Arsenal’s pursuit of Leeds United winger Raphinha is not yet over according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs
The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano reported via his personal Twitter account [30 June] that Chelsea are fending off a last-minute proposal from Barcelona for the 25-year-old.
The West London club have an agreement with the Whites over a move for the Brazilian winger, with personal terms open for discussion.
The Athletic reported [22 June] that the Gunners had a bid rejected for the Brazilian, and despite falling behind in the race, Jacobs believes Mikel Arteta could come back for the Leeds man.
The CBS journalist told GIVEMESPORT on 30 June: “Arsenal still could come back into the mix as well.
“Edu was sort of left hanging in the last 24 hours, waiting for Deco to tell him whether Raphinha, in a straight choice between Chelsea and Arsenal, would be prepared to pick Arsenal because then Arsenal may up their offer and also have an agreement with Leeds United.
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“But to date, it looks like being Chelsea or Barcelona because Arsenal haven’t come back in and actually made an agreement yet with Leeds United.”
Needs a conclusion
Raphinha’s transfer saga needs to come to its conclusion quickly after seemingly dragging on for months and months.
Had Leeds gone down or Barcelona didn’t find themselves in a financial mess then this saga would’ve been finished a long time ago.
Jesse Marsch will need time to find an adequate replacement for the talismanic Brazilian and the longer this saga rolls on, the less time the American will have to improve this Leeds United squad.
Victor Orta and Marsch are clearly planning for the Brazilian’s eventual departure with Leeds being linked to a host of attacking players over the past couple of weeks.
Charles De Ketelaere, Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke and Porto star Otavio just to name a few.
The Elland Road faithful should have trust in Marsch to adequately replace the big names that could leave Yorkshire this summer.
Not one Leeds fan will begrudge Raphinha for leaving Elland Road this summer with the Brazilian at a stage in his career where he needs to test himself at the highest level.
Furthermore, with the World Cup fast approaching, Raphinha must make sure he gives himself as much chance as possible of being part of Brazil’s plans in Qatar.
In other Leeds United news, Fabrizio Romano has named two players the Whites would love to sign with the money from selling Phillips and Raphinha.