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Barcelona won't make an offer for Leeds United winger Raphinha until Ousmane Dembele future settled
Barcelona won’t make formal contact with Leeds about the signing of Raphinha until Ousmane Dembele’s exit from the club is confirmed.
The Brazilian winger has been linked with a mega money move to the Camp Nou this summer after helping the Whites secure their Premier League status for the 2022/23 season.
But while rumours and speculation are rife, a report from Mundo Deportivo [June 7] claims that there has been no official contact or offers as of yet and there won’t be until the Catalan club have sorted the future of one of their current wingers.
The La Liga giants have been locked in talks with French international Dembele over a new contract, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the month but no agreement has been found yet.
They now claim that the club have made their final offer of a renewal to Dembele and if he doesn’t sign it by the time his contract expires then they will make contact with the Whites to get a deal done. Leeds are awaiting a call from the club or his agent Deco.
Back up?
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Judging from the new report, it seems as though Barcelona only deem Raphinha as a back up option should Dembele leave the club and that seems like a waste.
At Elland Road he is heralded as a real hero, as a key man in attack and arguably as the best player at the club. He deserves better than being a back up.
Obviously it’s his dream to play for such a giant club in Europe, and Leeds can’t compete with that, but there are some things bigger than that like legacy.
The Whites are in no rush to sell and hold all the cards for a potential deal as he has three years remaining on his contract at the club, and Barcelona are financially restrained still.
It seems this is a transfer saga that will drag on for the rest of the month until they get a final answer from Dembele, and then Leeds fans can really start sweating on the future of their Brazilian magician.
In other Leeds news, the club are competing for a £13m South American who hit 22 goals in the 21/22 season