Leeds United get major boost as Barcelona look at Angel Di Maria as Raphinha alternative
All summer the expectation has been that Raphinha will leave Leeds United and join Barcelona, but that deal seems to be on the ropes.
All the talk so far has been that the Brazilian wants to go to the Camp Nou, but the Spanish giants are unable to afford a deal with the Whites demanding a minimum of £60m to release him according to Phil Hay on June 3.
But a fresh report by Relevo on Monday [June 6] suggested that the Catalan giants may have switched their attention to a different left-footed, right winger from South America in Angel Di Maria.
Di Maria has just left Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after his contract wasn’t extended, and the 34-year-old is keen to spend another season in Europe’s top divisions before going back home to Argentina.
He had been expected to move to Juventus on a one-year contract, with his aim to be part of the Argentina squad for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year.
But now Barcelona have entered the race for his signature and the player, who spent four years at Real Madrid, is said to prefer a return to Spain over a move to Italy.
If the Catalan club are successful in their move for the man who scored the winning goal in the 2021 Copa America final, then the need for them to sign Raphinha suddenly and rapidly decreases.
Reports suggest they’re already miles apart from Leeds in what they want to pay for the 25-year-old Brazilian, who has made it clear that Barcelona is his priority destination. But his quotes ahead of Brazil’s game against Japan in which he admitted he could stay in Yorkshire suggest he won’t agitate for a move.
That’s the perfect noise for Leeds, as they’re under no pressure to sell unless the player kicks up a fuss.
But much like Di Maria, Raphinha wants to play at the World Cup and that means he must play regularly at club level. His best chance of that is definitely at Elland Road over the Camp Nou.
With a contract that runs until 2025 there is no pressure to sell for a big fee, they can get that next summer or an even bigger one if they somehow manage to convince him to sign a new deal.
But with a new target on the table at Barcelona, Leeds can maybe breathe a sigh of relief that their best attacker will still be part of the squad for the 2022/23 season too.
In other Leeds news, the Whites are right in the race for a £13m striker who scored 22 times in 21/22