Journalist Paul Brown has claimed that the Liverpool target has already made his mind up despite several clubs showing interest in his services.
There have been recent reports stating that Raphinha has emerged as Liverpool’s number one target in the summer transfer window, but he is reportedly keen on signing for La Liga side Barcelona rather than the Premier League runners-up.
Despite Raphinha supposedly opting for a move to Barcelona rather than Liverpool, the fee that Leeds are keen on keeping is £70 million, so there are question marks about whether Barcelona could afford him due to the financial difficulties at the club.
Although Liverpool have shown interest in Raphinha, Brown claimed to GiveMeSport that he thinks the Brazilian has already made up his mind on which club he wants to join.
Brown said: “He seems like a good fit and a player who would fit into their system quite well, but I think he’s already made his mind up over where he’s going to go, and it might be too late for Liverpool to try and flip that one around.”
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TIF Thoughts on Brown’s comments…
Raphinha, who was called ‘unbelievable’ by Kalvin Phillips, has been the main man for Leeds this season, he netted 11 times in the Premier League for the Whites, which made him the club’s top scorer. However, Leeds just about managed to survive relegation to the Championship, so the Brazilian might be keen to move to a club competing for silverware.
Sadio Mane has heavily been linked with a move away from Anfield in the summer, so Jurgen Klopp might be keen to bring in a replacement and with Raphinha already having Premier League experience, he could be a good option for the German manager.
However, Klopp did bring in Luis Diaz in January, so he already has valid cover if the Senegalese international does leave the club and they could use the money in other areas of the pitch that need upgrading.