Olivier Létang accepts it was a "real mistake" from Stade Rennais to sell Raphinha cheaply to Leeds United. Létang was president at the French club when they signed the Brazil international from Sporting Lisbon in 2019.
The skilful forward notched eight goals and seven assists in his first season at Stade Rennais but was then offloaded to United for a fee thought to be in the region of €17m. Raphinha spent two years at Elland Road before being snapped up by Barcelona in July 2022.
The 28-year-old has enjoyed the best year of his career at the La Liga giants, scoring 32 goals and registered 25 assists from 53 matches across all competitions. The Brazil international was on the scoresheet last night as Barcelona missed out on a place in the Champions League final after losing 7-6 on aggregate to Inter Milan in an enthralling two-legged tie. Had the Spanish outfit won the Champions League, it is thought United would have been due to a £10m fee due to a clause in Raphinha’s £55m switch.
Eurosport in France spoke to Lille president Létang about Raphinha before kick-off at the San Siro. Stade Rennais relieved Létang from his duties in February 2020, just months before United secured the player's services.
When asked whether it was a "real mistake" to sell him cheaply to United, Létang said: "I think that based on his career, which, once again, is no surprise given his qualities and mentality, the answer is very simple. I’m convinced he would have had a fantastic second season with Stade Rennais if he had stayed."
Létang claimed Létang was "pushed out" of the Ligue 1 club. “The version is very clear," he said. "Raphinha wanted to stay at Rennes and play in the Champions League. He was pushed out.
“I remember the day he called me, in shock, saying: ‘My president, they want me to leave.’ He was very, very disappointed. But once he understood what was going on behind the scenes, he no longer wanted to play for certain people."
Get Leeds United news to your phone with our WhatsApp community
Want the inside track on transfers? There's now a way you can get breaking news and the best reads sent straight to your device. By joining the Leeds United community on WhatsApp, you'll see the biggest and best stories as soon as they happen.
It's quick and easy to join. Just click this link and select 'Join Community' to get started.
No one else in the community will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the Leeds Live sports team. We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'. You can read our Privacy Notice here.