There has been much talk of Leeds United selling Raphinha to help the team fund a rebuild. There has been interest from Joan Laporta to sign the Brazilian right-winger up on the cheap to Barcelona. There is also speculation that Liverpool and Barca are also interested in the talented player. But should the Whites consider letting go one of their best players?
Why Leeds should hold on … for now
Raphael Dias Belloli – known as Raphinha – has shown significant promise since joining Leeds United in October 2020. Indeed, some might say that the 25-year-old has boosted the team’s credibility and therefore selling him could be a poor move. Since the team’s return to the Premier League, Raphinha has scored 15 goals, and has also notched 12 assists during his 59 appearances with them. Last season alone, the Brazilian scored six goals and provided nine assists, helping Leeds finish ninth in the League. Certainly, Raphinha has shown to be a dedicated and talented player, so it’s understandable why any of the world’s top teams would fight to have him on their side. It would therefore be advisable for Leeds to demand a decent sum of money for the sale of Raphinha. As a highly-skilled and talented player, he is worth a lot and the club could really benefit from the cash boost to help them climb back up the Premier League table.
Speculation
Paul Robinson, the former Leeds United goalkeeper, has been quoted in numerous media publications that he thinks that the Peacocks should cash in on Raphinha and sell him. Robinson believes that the right-winger has been inconsistent this season and that if the West Yorkshire team can make £100 million out of him, then they should grab the chance.
Whether or not Leeds sell Raphinha is as yet unclear. However, they should only do it for the correct reasons. It has been mentioned that Raphinha wants to move on from Leeds, so surely that should be taken into consideration? If you were a betting person who liked to try your luck on online casinos such as GGPoker, you’d probably put your money on Leeds selling Raphinha before the start of the next season.
Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Raphinha and his agent have been in talks with Barcelona. However, it’s been reported by some sources that whilst Raphinha is keen to play under Xavi Hernandez, Leeds United recently knocked back a €35 million bid from Barcelona.
Whilst Raphinha is undoubtedly a highly gifted player, many fans feel that the Brazilian hasn’t really reached his full potential this season. Nonetheless, he is certainly one of the brightest stars playing for Leeds at the moment, so should the team really gamble and let him go? It’s a difficult situation and it’ll be interesting to see what happens and if the rumours of a transfer turn out to be true. Leeds United hasn’t really set the world of football on fire recently. The team has been gradually slipping towards the bottom of the League table and could perhaps do with a good cash boost to build them back up.
The word is that Raphinha himself is keen to move on to new pastures at the end of the season, so with that in mind, it definitely seems more likely that the 25-year-old will be leaving the Whites in the near future. If Raphinha no longer wants to be at Leeds United, then this will eventually impact on his playing and so it would be sensible for the team to let him go.
For both Leeds and Raphinha to benefit from a sale though, the Peacocks must not sell him short. They should aim to get a sum that reflects the Brazilian player’s worth and from which they, as a team, can get full benefit from.