Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Raphinha is not likely to be a Leeds United player next season despite the club securing Premier League survival.
There have been reports that the Leeds winger is on the brink of signing for Barcelona, but the La Liga giants may face competition for his signature as Premier League clubs such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle United are also interested in him.
Raphinha has been a standout performer for Leeds this season in their poor campaign, ending as their top scorer with 11 goals in the league whilst also chipping in with three assists.
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With the reports that several clubs are interested in signing the Brazilian, O’Rourke has claimed to GiveMeSport that he is likely to leave Elland Road in the summer.
He said: “I’m sure Raphinha loved helping Leeds to stay up but he could still move on, on better terms.
“He did want to leave the club if they went down to the Championship, and for Leeds, staying up is better for them because they will get more money for him if they do sell him as a Premier League club rather than a Championship club. I think all signals seem to point at Raphinha probably not being a Leeds player next season.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments…
Raphinha was the main man for Leeds this season in the Premier League. He was the club’s top goal contributor with 14, he created the most big chances (10) and made the most amount of key passes on average per game (1.9), as per SofaScore.
Although the chances of the Brazilian staying at Leeds have increased due to them staying in the Premier League, O’Rourke’s comments suggest he may well leave in the summer, so Jesse Marsch will have to use the funds supplied to him to try and replace the winger as he has dominated the attacking stats for his side.
Leeds will be keen to keep Raphinha at the club, but if they can get a significant fee for him, they can use that money to invest in the rest of the squad in an attempt to have a better campaign in the 2022/23 season.