Leeds ready to bag themselves the deal of the winter by signing the new Raphinha
Leeds United have constantly been on the lookout to sign another star like Raphinha ever since the Brazilian left Elland Road in 2022.
Raphinha joined Barcelona for a package deal that amounted to £52million, with the Whites having to watch their former star grow into a global world-beater.
The winger has come close to winning the Ballon d'Or since leaving Leeds, and many have questioned how the Whites ever managed to get their hands on the former Rennes man in the first place.
Daniel Farke wants to bring new attacking additions to LS11 in the January transfer window, and Leeds may have finally found their new Raphinha.
Leeds wanted Noa Lang as Raphinha's replacement in 2022
Leeds reportedly want to sign Noa Lang from Napoli this window, with the versatile winger potentially available on a cut-price deal.
The 26-year-old gained rave reviews and plenty of interest in the summer due to his stellar performances for PSV, but he's since had unfair treatment at Napoli.
- Lang has managed just 629 minutes in the Serie A for Napoli
- He joined the Italian side in the summer for £24million
- Leeds have been interested in the underrated star since his days with Club Brugge
Lang has been compared to Raphinha in the past, while internal figures at Leeds have admired the Dutch forward since 2022.
Victor Orta was a driving force behind the Whites' signing of Raphinha in 2020, and many thought the move was a gamble.
The same could be said about Lang in this case, but the stars look to be aligning.
When breaking it down, it's easy to see exactly why Lang has the potential to be the new Raphinha.
Statistical nose-dive into Lang's success in the Netherlands
Like Raphinha, a transfer move for Lang would raise eyebrows, given his lack of game time and performances for Napoli.
However, his consistent performances in his homeland of the Netherlands prove why another gamble could be worth the risk in this case.
| Season | Matches played | Goals | Assists | Big chances created | Successful dribbles per 90 | Average rating |
| 2024-25 | 29 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 1.0 | 7.52 |
| 2023-24 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1.0 | 7.35 |
As highlighted by Sofascore, Lang played many more matches in the 2024-25 Eredivisie season due to being kept out of some games through injury the season prior.
Regardless, Lang stayed consistent, creating, dribbling, and scoring goals at an effective rate.
Raphinha only had eight goals and six assists across two seasons with Rennes before he came to Leeds, but the balance in goals and assists is there for all to see.
The 49ers have a clear window for opportunity with this one, and Leeds can't mess it up again.
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