Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that he expects Raphinha to leave Elland Road in the summer due to his frustrations at how the season has turned out.
Leeds winger Raphinha is heavily on the radar of La Liga side Barcelona, who are reportedly preparing a bid to lure him away from the Premier League in the summer transfer window, and the deal will be made easier if the Whites get relegated to the Championship.
On a personal level for Raphinha, he has been impressive this campaign – he is the club’s top scorer with 10 goals in 35 Premier League games.
Amid the reports of an exit from Elland Road for Raphinha, Jones spoke to GiveMeSport and said he expects him to move on in the summer.
Jones said: “I think Raphinha is as disappointed as anybody at the way the season’s turned out but, ultimately, I do expect him to leave. Nothing’s really changed in his personal situation at Leeds and the fight against relegation isn’t going particularly well still.”
Do you think Leeds will get relegated?Yes
No
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TIF Thoughts on Jones’s comments…
Raphinha has been the standout performer in a poor Leeds side this season, with the Brazilian recording the most goal contributions (13), the most big chances (9) and averaging the most key passes per game (1.9), as per SofaScore.
If Leeds were to remain in the Premier League next season and lose Raphinha, Jesse Marsch would have to use any money they would receive for the winger to replace him well, given he has dominated the attacking stats for his side this campaign.
If the Whites do go down, it is almost certain that the 25-year-old would leave the club in the summer with European giants such as Barcelona interested in signing him, and it would also mean that Leeds would get less money for him than if they were to remain in the top flight.
Either way, it seems fans will end up disappointed.