By Pranav Shahaney

13th Jun, 2022 | 4:10pm

Leeds United quest to sign Gonzalo Plata takes fresh twist with Barcelona closing in on Raphinha

Leeds United could be handed a major obstacle in their reported chase of Sporting CP winger Gonzalo Plata.

According to Portuguese media outlet O Jogo (June 13, Pg 13), the Sporting have now been handed a reason to worry as his sale appears to be complicated this summer.

The 21-year-old, who has been earmarked as a replacement for Raphinha as he closes in on a Barcelona move, had to leave the pitch in an ambulance during the Ecuador v Cape Verde match in the last few days.

There is now a belief that he could be out for two months which would make it difficult for Leeds or any other club to secure his services at least until mid August.

Bad times

Losing Raphinha is already a big blow for Leeds as the number of points he singlehandedly wins for the Whites is remarkable, to say the least.

We’re not saying Plata is the same player as the Brazilian, but if he has been earmarked as a replacement for him then Victor Orta and co. will be gutted if he’s going to be unavailable this summer.

Leeds have made it a priority to get deals done early this window and could have looked to advance talks with Plata if everything was fine.

However, they’re now set to look elsewhere in order to find someone who can replace Raphinha and eventually become their leading attacking player.

It’s not going to be easy looking for such a player but the club have managed to sign some big names in the past and we’re backing them to do once again.

In Leeds United news, an under-the-radar court case involving the transfer of a Leeds player has reached its conclusion with the final payout revealed.