Manchester United ‘monitoring’ Leeds United star Raphinha over potential summer deal
Manchester United are interested in signing Leeds winger Raphinha should the club get relegated, but know a deal will be tough to do according to The Telegraph.
The Brazilian winger has emerged as one of the best players to pull on the white shirt in recent years since his £17m transfer from Rennes two summers ago.
With the club precariously on the edge of relegation now though, consistent links to Barcelona have seen him linked with a move away this summer. But now the Old Trafford side have reportedly entered the race too.
According to a report by Mike McGrath [May 20], new manager Erik Ten Hag has identified Raphinha as a potential target. With the club having a reduced transfer budget after failing to make the Champions League, they may not be able to sign a striker.
That means they will instead target a left-footed forward, with Raphinha fitting the bill considering his £25m relegation clause in his contract.
They know a deal will be tough to do however due to the rivalry between the clubs, but are monitoring his situation anyway.
Vultures
What a bunch of vultures they are, looking to feed off our leftovers when we’re in a vulnerable position rather than getting their own talent.
But unfortunately that’s the position we’ve put ourselves in with our performances this season and we have to deal with and accept it.
The 25-year-old reportedly prefers a move to Barcelona which is a huge benefit to us, because it means he can’t directly hurt us next season or in the future, but if he leaves for £25m it’s a horror blow.
Raphinha is worth at least double that amount in the current market and should we face the drop then we’d need all the cash we can get, but worse is that we’d be locked into a price that we couldn’t try to inflate.
Whether Raphinha would accept a move to Man United is unclear, but hopefully he would follow the lead of Kalvin Phillips and know the rivalry between the sides makes it a non-starter.
In other Leeds news, Paul Merson: Leeds star is a ‘goner’ if relegated, ‘no chance’ he joins linked club