Journalist Conor McGilligan has claimed that Raphinha will leave Leeds United this summer as he should be at a club ‘challenging for league titles’.
Earlier this week, rumours linking the Brazilian with a future exit intensified with Spanish media claiming that Barcelona are keen on acquiring his signature when the transfer market reopens.
While discussing Raphinha on the One Leeds Fan YouTube channel, McGilligan accepted that it was more than likely that the player would depart sooner rather than later due to his blossoming reputation in the game.
Will Raphinha leave Leeds in the summer?
Yes
No
He said (01:09): “This guy has been getting the notoriety for a long time now. He’s becoming a little bit of a global superstar. He’s got the World Cup coming up. And it’s going to be interesting to see how Leeds United play this.
“You’re asking me a direct question. Do I think Raphinha will be at Leeds United next season? I’m going to go with a no.
“And the reason behind that is because I do think Raphinha should be challenging for the top four. I do think Raphinha should be, in my opinion, challenging for league titles. I think he’s that good.”
TIF thoughts on Raphinha and Leeds…
In the reports this week, it was claimed that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has lined up the Leeds winger as a replacement for Ousmane Dembele who looks likely to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
If that is the case, it would certainly be interesting to see if Raphinha would have the quality to make the step up to a bigger club.
There can be little doubting just how impressive the Brazilian has been for Leeds in the Premier League. Indeed, spread across the past two seasons, the 25-year-old has scored 15 league goals and registered 12 assists.
However, expectations will no doubt be higher in Spain due to the club’s huge reputation. Even so, McGilligan is certainly ready to accept that the time has come for Raphinha to at least attempt to reach a new level in his career.
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