Barcelona and Liverpool will reportedly wage a transfer battle with Manchester City for Raphinha, valued at £60 million by Leeds United.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Barcelona and Liverpool will also have Manchester City to compete with, in the pursuit of Raphinha in the summer transfer window. Leeds United will demand £60 million to part with the Brazilian international.
Raphinha has taken the Premier League by storm since joining Leeds United from Stade Rennais in October 2020. The 25-year-old’s blend of electric pace and technical astuteness has been refreshing to watch for the most part, and he has established himself as the Whites’ talisman in the last 18 months.
The Brazilian international has led Leeds’ bid to stave off relegation in the ongoing campaign, amassing nine goals and three assists in 27 Premier League appearances. But Raphinha seems set to depart Elland Road in the summer transfer window, with a slew of European bigwigs, including Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester City, queueing up for his signature.
Barcelona will enter the market for a wide-attacker in the summer transfer window as uncertainty looms over the future of Ousmane Dembele. At the same time, there are no guarantees that Adama Traore will join the Blaugrana permanently. Raphinha has thus emerged as a priority target for Barcelona.
As for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah’s delicate contract situation has put the Reds in a spot of bother. And the Merseyside giants seem to be keeping their options open heading into the summer transfer window, with Raphinha a viable candidate to replace the Liverpool talisman if push comes to shove.
The interest from Manchester City is interesting but hardly surprising, considering Riyad Mahrez is on the wrong side of 30 and linked with several high profile clubs in Europe, including Barcelona. And Raphinha could be the ideal candidate to replace Mahrez if the Algerian chooses to leave Manchester City in the summer transfer window.
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But Raphinha will not come cheap, with Leeds United set to demand around £60 million to part with him in the summer transfer window. Apart from Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester City, Raphinha is also a target for Bayern Munich. But Barcelona could be the front-runners in the £60 million race to sign the Brazilian international, as Camp Nou is his preferred destination.
