Leeds United seem adamant that they won’t be bullied by Barcelona into accepting a cut price deal for Brazilian winger Raphinha.
Already a regular with the Selecao, Raphinha is at a level which few other wide players in football can claim to be producing regularly. As such, he’s been the subject of much interest from the richer clubs in England.
The first candidate to emerge was of course Barcelona. According to Sport, they have had a deal agreed with the player for a contract since March. The sticking point is that Barcelona seem unwilling to pay the €55m fee Leeds want.
Other clubs, including Chelsea and Liverpool have put in higher bids of around €65m, but Deco’s insistence that his client should wait for Barcelona has been key in maintaining the Catalans in the race.
“If Deco wasn’t Raphinha’s representative, he would have signed for Chelsea or Liverpool,” the article quoted.
It’s been a common theme for Barcelona this summer, where the Blaugrana are having to rely on their clout and prestige to tempt players, rather than their financial muscle.
