Raphinha was subbed off at half-time on Saturday, which has sparked further rumours that the Brazilian won’t be at Leeds United next season.
Journalist Dean Jones told GiveMeSport that it is ‘clear’ to him that the winger won’t be a Leeds player next campaign.
When discussing the Whites’ disappointing afternoon on Saturday, Jones said: “He was highlighted and it was a tough day all round. It’s pretty clear in my mind that Raphinha won’t be at Leeds next season anyway.”
There were rumours of a move away from the West Yorkshire side in January, but a deal never materialised, meaning Leeds would keep their star man until at least the end of the 2021/22 season.
TIF Thoughts on Raphinha transfer speculation…
Raphinha has lit up the Premier League since Leeds gained promotion, and Bielsa has spoken publicly on how important the Brazilian winger has been for his side.
Despite the rumours of a move away from Elland Road following speculation in the recent January transfer window, it looked likely that he would be on his way out.
But Bielsa has not shown any solidarity towards the 25-year-old since, after he subbed him off at half time on Saturday as Leeds found themselves two goals down against Everton at the break.
This could be seen as a risky move from Bielsa, considering there has been an abundance of attraction towards the player from other arguably bigger clubs. But Bielsa is an experienced coach and evidently has no fear of upsetting anyone in the Leeds camp.
With recent reports suggesting his price tag could be set to rise to around £60m if he signs a new contract, this is a large amount of money for a club like Leeds, and with Bielsa’s transfer strategy in the past, he could use the money to bring in several young players if he was to offload Raphinha in the summer.
Though whether a new deal would increase the chances of the Brazilian leaving rather than not remains to be seen.