Report: Club claims previous board overpaid for star in 2019, happy to sell to Leeds for a loss
Leeds United were delighted when they found out that Raphinha was for sale late on in the summer transfer window, according to a report in the Athletic.
They were also surprised at the £17m price tag for a player that Rennes didn’t want to lose. That was less than the £20m they had paid for him just one year earlier.
However, according to the Athletic, Rennes believed they overpaid for Raphinha.
The report says: “Sources have told The Athletic that the current ownership at Rennes thought the previous board overpaid when they signed Raphinha from Sporting.
“He was talented but not necessarily worth the £20 million invested in him. Set against his desire to leave, they were happy to accept a smaller initial fee from Leeds.”
However, Rennes didn’t want him to leave. Raphinha played in the 2-2 draw with Reims despite an agreement being in place with Leeds.
The Rennes players and coach Julien Stephan tried to persuade him to stay but he left directly following that match to fly to Leeds to complete his move on deadline day.
Leeds bag a bargain
There were a few odd things about this transfer – the player being allowed to play in the game against Reims the day before the transfer going through being the big one.
It’s also odd for a club to admit they overpaid for a player and it does seem as if Leeds would have been happy to pay the £20m that Rennes paid for Raphinha from Sporting.
Both Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta were said to have been tracking the player independently and were happy to find they had a mutual interest in him.
It seems that Rennes took a very pragmatic approach to the transfer, with president Nicolas Holveck saying, “It’s not a good idea to keep a player against his will.”
Given Raphinha’s desire to play in the Premier League they agreed to the £17m price tag, although they could end up breaking even on the deal with add-ons.
It seems like Leeds have got a bargain and we can’t wait to see what Raphinha can do.
As is Bielsa’s way, Raphinha is unlikely to start on Monday against Wolves but he should be on the bench.
And he will have benefitted from closer attention from Bielsa since he signed with 10 players away on international duty.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay delivers news Leeds fans have been dreading