Leeds United forward Raphinha is delaying a decision on his future as he waits for Barcelona to table an acceptable bid.
The Brazil forward was left out of Leeds’ 25-man touring squad that travelled to Australia over the weekend as the club anticipate definitive movement on his future. All parties expect he will leave but i understands Raphinha’s preference is to move to Barcelona, whose complicated financial situation is delaying any move.
Ironically it may take progress in Frenkie de Jong’s tortuous move to Leeds’ rivals Manchester United to free up funds and set the wheels in motion on Raphinha’s move to the Nou Camp.
It is a measure of the regard in which he is held at Elland Road that Leeds are working with the forward towards an acceptable solution. Chelsea have made a £60m bid that remains on the table while Arsenal are yet to improve their initial £40m offer.
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Having signed Feyenoord’s rising star Luis Sinisterra to compensate for his loss, Leeds believe they’re in a comfortable position with regards Raphinha. While the odds are still heavily stacked in the favour of him leaving Elland Road, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he stays for another year.
Jesse Marsch’s comments after Friday’s friendly win at Blackpool – speaking of the reciprocal professionalism of both club and player and Raphinha’s conduct while his future is uncertain – hint that there remains mutual respect from both parties.
Leeds also respect the player’s wish to find an accommodation with Barcelona – but there will come a time when a decision has to be made on other offers.
A summer of transition at Elland Road has so far been navigated fairly astutely, given the calibre of the incomings at Leeds.
Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha’s exits were expected whatever happened with their relegation fight. But winning at Brentford on the final day has avoided a doomsday scenario where half of the squad were able to trigger relegation release clauses. Newcastle, for one, were waiting to bring in Jack Harrison – a move that is now highly unlikely.
And whisper it quietly, but Leeds are making moves that appear extremely astute.
In Tyler Adams, they have a player capable of replicating both the off-field and on-field impact of Phillips, who was unveiled as a Manchester City player on Sunday. Observers have already spoke of his impact on the training ground, where he will be an influential voice in the dressing room.
Marc Roca may have been on the fringes of things at Bayern Munich but director of football Victor Orta is a big fan of the box-to-box midfielder.
But the ace in the pack of Leeds’ recruits could well turn out to be Sinisterra, a right-footed forward who plays on the left and is an explosive attacker in the model of his international team-mate Luis Diaz.
Sinisterra, who was due to be loaned out by Feyenoord two years ago before Jaap Stam spotted his raw talent, has battled back from a serious injury at Feyenoord to become one of the Eredivisie’s shining lights. And while some players have found the transition from the Netherlands to the Premier League tough, Sinisterra boasts the patronage of Robin van Persie – who believes him to be the best winger in the league.
Leeds’ disastrous season demanded a response and Orta and Leeds have certainly been emphatic in changing things. The club now wait on Raphinha before making their next move.
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