Leeds United are braced for fresh bids for Raphinha as their summer of transition moves up a gear.
Arsenal’s much trailed bid for the Brazilian was lodged officially on Tuesday – and swiftly rejected as way below the club’s £50m valuation.
Early indications are that the Gunners will continue to negotiate as the player and his club wait on Barcelona, who are waiting for the transfer window dominoes to fall before they have the funds to follow up their own interest.
Personal terms, it is understood, have already been agreed in principle with the Catalan giants.
More from Football
At Elland Road it feels like a close season of change with so much riding on it. Few inside the club’s hierarchy need to be reminded that Kalvin Phillips is Manchester City’s priority midfield target and while no contact has been made yet, plans are being put in place in case the former academy graduate does depart.
For a team that came so close to returning to the Championship, it feels like a dangerous strategy to lose their two best players and expect not to strive for survival again. But it says a lot that there is a measure of calm about the rebuilding work they are undertaking this summer.
For a start, they are a club that has one eye on the long term and interest in Raphinha and Phillips was expected. Leeds signed Raphinha for just £17m two years ago, so to more than double their money on the player is a sign that their scouting network and recruitment strategy is functioning as it should.
The influential director of football Victor Orta came in for fierce criticism from Leeds supporters as the team toiled last season but Leeds remain all in on his vision of how the club should recruit to a set blueprint.
More on Leeds United FC
Orta is a disciple of data and works closely with one of the industry leaders StatsBomb, developing an algorithm with the company which is able to match players with Leeds’ “playing DNA” and recruitment requirements. They are the first club to do this and many of the players recruited – who will fit in well with Jesse Marsch’s desired style – fit that model.
They have signed three players so far, the latest of which – Bayern Munich’s Spanish midfielder Marc Roca – has real potential to match the impact of Raphinha. One recruitment expert that i spoke to pinpointed him as one of the most astute buys of the summer.
Leeds have more of those in the pipeline and a succession plan for both Raphinha and Phillips, with sources certain that the energy and creativity of Roca is not intended as a like-for-like replacement for the England midfielder.
Red Bull Leipzig’s Tyler Adams, a defensive midfielder, is also on the agenda but it is understood other targets have experience of the Premier League.
Although they have moved on from Huddersfield’s Lewis O’Brien, Leeds would not be averse to taking the best players from the Championship. They are one of a number of clubs maintaining a watching brief of Hull City’s Keane Lewis-Potter.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/omZnOqR
Post a Comment