Liverpool ready to swap Minamino with Leeds United in player-plus-cash deal for Raphinha
Liverpool are ready to offer Takumi Minamino to Leeds United in order to improve their chances of signing Raphinha, according to The Mirror.
The newspaper reports that Jurgen Klopp wants to sign the 25-year-old Brazil international and in Minamino, he “may have an ace up his sleeve in getting a deal done”.
It is understood that Klopp would be ready to offer the 27-year-old Japan attacker to the Whites in a player-plus-cash deal for Raphinha.
The Mirror adds that Leeds want “big money” for the ex-Rennes star and that he’s blown Klopp away with his performances in the Premier League at Elland Road.
Leeds are said to be interested in Minamino while Liverpool could lose Sadio Mane this summer.
No deal
Leeds should make Liverpool pay a premium for Raphinha if they want to sign him and now allow them to use a player like Minamo as a makeweight.
Raphinha is also wanted by Barcelona and there’s also been speculation about interest from Bayern Munich [The Athletic]. We’d much rather see him join one of them than stay in the Premier League and play twice against us every year.
If Mane does quit Liverpool then they’ll need a massive signing to replace him and we admit that Raphinha would be a terrific addition for Klopp based on what we’ve seen in the last two seasons.
But if they want to sign him, they should be charged more than Barca or Bayern because no Leeds fan wants to see him stay in the Premier League unless he’s playing for Leeds United Football Club. It’ll be heartbreaking.
However, if the Reds do want to stump up extra funds for Raphinha, we’ll be more inclined to see it as a decent sale because we could not only replace Raphinha but also strengthen the left-back, midfield and striker positions.
Minamino is a versatile forward who can play anywhere in the attack. He’s also been dubbed an “incredible” trainer by Klopp [Liverpool YouTube].
But we haven’t been blown away by the Japan international’s performances in English football.
If we pocket as much money as possible from selling Raphinha, we should be able to sign better.
In other Leeds United news, a player has jet into the UK from Dubai after making a transfer decision on the Whites.