Fabrizio Romano has claimed that only Chelsea have reached an agreement with Leeds United for the transfer of Raphinha.
The Brazilian winger has attracted interest from plenty of clubs this summer, with the choice now looking likely to come down to the Blues and Barcelona. As things stand, however, only Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee with Leeds.
Romano took to his YouTube channel to say: “At the moment, from what I’m told, on Leeds’ side, they still deny to have full agreement with any other club that is not Chelsea.”
The journalist did also reveal, however, that Raphinha is waiting for Barcelona, saying: “Raphinha is really, really pushing and waiting for Barcelona. He’s waiting for Barca, as we know, for a long time. It’s always been his priority.”
Romano also revealed on Twitter that Barcelona have submitted a bid €50m (£43.1m) plus €10m (£8.6m) in add-ons in an attempt to match Chelsea’s £60m bid. As of right now, that bid has not been reported to have been accepted, however.
Leeds have quite the conundrum on their hands. If reports are to be believed, Raphinha wants the Barcelona move. But it has to be mentioned that the Catalan club’s bid was reportedly less than Chelsea’s. And, although they will want to do right by their player, Chelsea’s bid is better from a financial perspective.
TIF Thoughts on Raphinha…
It seems as though Leeds are almost consigned to losing Raphinha this summer now. The winger performed well enough last season to earn the move, as well as keep the Yorkshire club afloat. And the big clubs were always going to come calling.
If they do lose him, replacing his output must become one of the priorities this summer. If they fail to sign a replacement, they could be drawn into battling relegation once more next season.