Deco to hold talks with Leeds United for Raphinha as Barcelona find deal difficult to secure
Barcelona want to sign Leeds United winger Raphinha in the summer but it won’t be easy to prise him away after the Whites secured Premier League safety.
According to Catalan newspaper Sport (May 23, page 13), Raphinha will be more expensive for Barcelona after Leeds avoided the drop. Despite reaching a personal agreement, the Catalan giants will now find it “difficult” to negotiate a deal, with Leeds expected to demand a high transfer fee.
Raphinha would have been available for around £21million if Leeds had suffered relegation.
Another newspaper daily from Spain, Mundo Deportivo (May 23, page 12), also touched upon his situation.
Mundo Deportivo reports that the agent of Raphinha, Deco, will hold talks with Leeds in the coming weeks, to clarify the situation.
They will primarily check whether Leeds will make him even more expensive in the summer. The Brazilian wants to join Barcelona, but things are now more complicated.
Makes sense
Raphinha dreams of joining Barcelona, and Leeds probably won’t stand in his way.
At the same time, the player wanted to end the season on a high and keep Leeds in the Premier League.
Barcelona are in a parlous financial situation at the moment, and it will be extremely difficult for them to fork out £50-60 million for Raphinha.
It will be interesting to see if Leeds lower their asking price and help Raphinha seal his dream move.
To be fair, that is not how the club should operate. Barcelona must come close to Leeds’ valuation of the player or else forget signing him.
Raphinha was outstanding in the 2021-22 campaign for Leeds, where he managed 11 goals and three assists in the Premier League. He has a contract at the club till 2024, and there is no pressure to sell him.
It looks like this is going to be a long drawn transfer saga, with plenty of twists and turns in it. As it stands, Barcelona are already feeling the heat – they have realised it will be difficult to lure him away from Elland Road.
In other Leeds United news, View: Steven Gerrard’s vow serves Leeds major relegation hope amid their relegation battle and Marsch will be buzzing.