Leeds United make Barcelona wait with talks yet to begin over Raphinha exit
There have still not been any “definitive negotiations” between Leeds United and Barcelona over the transfer of Raphinha according to Mundo Deportivo.
With the season over and the state of play from the Elland Road side now confirmed, after Premier League survival was wrapped up on the final day, talks were expected to commence over a potential exit for the Brazilian.
Sky Sports reported last week (25 May) that the Catalan giants were expected to make their interest, which had been widely known for weeks, official in the “coming days”, but there are apparently still no discussions.
Information looks to be travelling between the two sides on an informal basis, as they are reportedly aware at the Camp Nou that the transfer will cost over €55million.
They are also apparently still waiting on the future of Ousmane Dembele to be clarified, as the French winger’s late-season resurgence made a stay at the club an option after it previously looked like an exit was the only outcome.
United are not interested in any of the players that Barca want to shift in order to bring the price down, by the Catalans continue to believe a part-exchange is “viable”.
Stalemate
After the win at Brentford kept the club in the top flight it is starting to look like the giants from La Liga have run out of ideas.
If they put all their eggs in the basket of Leeds being relegated to the Championship so they could take advantage of the low release clause, the needed to have a backup plan for if that didn’t happen.
Clearly they either can’t or won’t pay the significantly larger fee that the Whites will justifiably demand to lose their key attacker, so absent a major domino that is yet to fall they seem to be hoping there will be a change of heart in Yorkshire.
That seems incredibly unlikely, and while Dembele’s future is relevant it doesn’t appear that him leaving is suddenly going to free up in excess of £50million for them to send to Elland Road.
It’s obviously not in United’s interest to go seeking negotiations when they have set out their position, so the stalling from Spain suggests they are faced with significant barriers to making the deal happen.
The ball is in the prospective buyer’s court so until they come up with something that will grab the Whites’ attention the club may as well make them wait.
In other Leeds United news, a Sky Sports pundit says people are “forgetting one huge point” on the potential exit of a first-team star and made the argument why he stays instead.