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The former Leeds United winger looks to be attracting interest during an incredible season.
Former Leeds United favourite Raphinha has been linked with a sensational Premier League return amid reports of a big-money offer from Manchester United.
Raphinha is enjoying the best form of his life at Barcelona, who he joined from Leeds in a £55million deal almost three years ago. The Brazilian has an incredible 27 goals and 18 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, including 11 strikes in 10 Champions League games as the Blaugrana emerge as favourites for Europe’s most prestigious competition.
That form has been enough for Raphinha to become a genuine Ballon d’Or contender and also seemingly caught the eye of prospective suitors, with Spanish outlet Fichajes reporting on interest from Old Trafford. They claim a €70million (£58.9m) offer is already ‘on the table’ as Manchester United plot a ‘bold’ summer move for the red-hot winger.
Raphinha transfer latest
Ruben Amorim has endured a torrid debut campaign as Manchester United boss and having taken over mid-season, is keen to recruit heavily this summer in a bid to mould the squad to his 3-4-3 formation. Raphinha is seen as an ‘immediate solution’ to pressing issues at Old Trafford, namely a lack of goals that has contributed to their most miserable season in recent memory.
Barcelona will undoubtedly be reluctant to lose Raphinha, who is entering the peak of his powers for club and country, but the La Liga side could find such an offer ‘difficult to refuse’. There is also thought to be interest across Europe but, the report suggests, it is Manchester United who have ‘made the strongest move so far’.
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The 28-year-old has regularly stated his desire to remain at Camp Nou and, having often donned the captain’s armband, has shown no sign of wanting to move on. Leeds fans will be desperate to see him stay with Barcelona, or at least avoid a move to their fierce rivals Manchester United.
Do Leeds have a sell-on clause for Raphinha?
It would be difficult to envisage Barcelona accepting Manchester United’s reported £59m bid, given it would only bring them around £4m profit on a player who has emerged as one of the world’s best in their colours. But the prospect of a bigger offer remains and reports last summer even suggested the winger could be worth up to €100m (£84.1m).
Should Barcelona eventually accept an offer for Raphinha then Leeds fans might be wondering if anything will come their way, but unfortunately the short answer to that is no. The deal they agreed with Camp Nou chiefs in the summer of 2022 consisted of around £50m paid upfront, with add-ons varying between £5m and £10m based on different reports.
But as the YEP’s chief football writer Graham Smyth reported back in January 2023, there is no sell-on clause - although that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a cash windfall. The nature of those aforementioned add-ons have never been confirmed but Spanish media have previously suggested the presence of a £10m bonus if Barcelona win the Champions League.
Hansi Flick’s side are into the quarter-finals after beating Benfica 4-1 over two legs - Raphinha scored three of those four goals - and following Liverpool’s exit they are now third favourites behind Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. There is also the possibility of a clause related to any Ballon d’Or glory, although nothing has been reported.