Leeds United winger Raphinha is in advanced negotiations regarding a move away from Elland Road this summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent post on Twitter that Barcelona are now in advanced discussions with Deco – the 25-year-old’s agent – concerning a move to Barcelona at the end of the current campaign.
The journalist went on to state that, while discussions with the Brazilian are progressing quickly, official talks with Leeds regarding the forward’s transfer are yet to begin, with these negotiations expected to take a considerable amount of time.
Speaking about Barcelona’s interest in Raphinha, Romano said: “Barcelona are in well-advanced talks with Deco for Raphinha as [a] summer target since one month, but the official negotiation with Leeds won’t start now – it will take some time.”
Supporters will be devastated
While it would appear likely that, should Raphinha indeed go on to leave Leeds this summer, the Whites would be in line to receive a considerable fee for the 25-year-old – with it being reported that Victor Orta has informed Barca they will have to pay the winger’s €75m (£62.5m) release clause in order to prise him away from Elland Road – the news that the Brazil international looks to all but have agreed personal terms with the LaLiga side will nevertheless leave supporters devastated.
Indeed, over his 27 Premier League appearances this season, the £36m-rated sensation has been in breathtaking form for Leeds, scoring nine goals, registering three assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 2.1 key passes per game – which see him rank first in Jesse Marsch’s squad in both metrics.
These returns have seen the £63k-per-week forward average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as the Whites’ second-best performing outfielder in the current campaign.
Furthermore, considering just how highly FBref rank the 25-year-old in a number of key metrics in comparison to every attacking midfielder and winger in Europe’s big five leagues – being in the top 14% for xA per 90, as well as the top 11% for progressive passes, the top 19% for dribbles completed, the top 26% for shot-creating actions and the top 29% for non-penalty xG over the last 365 days – it is clear to see just how talented a player Raphinha really is.
As such, while receiving a transfer fee of around £62.5m would undoubtedly represent a fantastic piece of business on a player Orta signed for £17m just a year and a half ago, the loss of the Brazilian would nevertheless come as a gutting blow to both Marsch and the Elland Road faithful – who will now be well accustomed to seeing Raphinha tear Premier League defenders apart for Leeds on a weekly basis.
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