Leeds United winger Raphinha has been linked with a move away from Elland Road, but the Whites managed to escape the January interest.
Bayern Munich were among those thought to be interested in Raphinha last month, but a move never materialised.
The links come amid Leeds’ poor form this season, with the Whites struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
And journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport he believes that if the Brazilian winger was to pick up form towards the back end of the season, ‘he’ll join a bigger club’.
“I think if he has great run between now and the end of the season, he’ll definitely leave because he’ll join a bigger team,” Jones said.
Raphinha was dragged off at half time on Saturday after Marcelo Bielsa thought tactically it wasn’t working, and this has sparked further rumours about the winger’s future at the club.
Jones added: “If he’s not fitting in with what Leeds are doing right now and people start making stories about him wanting to leave, then he’ll also leave. So, I don’t see a good ending for Leeds either way in this.”
TIF Thoughts on Dean Jones’ comments that there is no ‘good ending’ for Leeds in this situation…
Raphinha has been vital to Leeds this season, with eight goals and two assists in 21 league games from the right wing.
Despite the Whites currently sitting just six points off the bottom three, Raphinha has saved his side on many occasions with his crucial goals to ensure much-needed points for Bielsa.
With this fine form comes attraction from bigger clubs such as Liverpool and Real Madrid, with a figure being reported at £36.5m for the Brazilian’s services.
If Raphinha does play a key role in securing Premier League safety for Bielsa’s side, then his price tag may well rise, meaning if he was to leave, Bielsa could have greater finance to bring in a replacement and other players.
With the lack of funds currently at Leeds meaning they may struggle to compete with other clubs around them for the players they want, the money they could get from a Raphinha sale may solve this issue. Therefore, this would be a huge positive from the deal because new players at Elland Road have arguably been overdue.