Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch gives Raphinha update and explains transfer value to Whites

The Brazilian international is due to fly to Spain to complete his move to Camp Nou in the next day or so, after Barcelona finally raised their bid to a level far closer to the one Chelsea put on the table weeks ago.

Raphinha, who grew up with Barcelona legend Ronaldinho as his family friend and idol, has held out for the Catalan giants and now appears closer than ever to his dream.

“There's been distinct movement with Barcelona,” said Marsch after a training session on the Gold Coast.

“We think that things will move along in the next day or two, but it's certainly not finished yet.

Similarly to the situation with Kalvin Phillips, Marsch is disappointed to lose a player of Raphinha’s quality but believes he will leave Leeds in the best way.

"As much as it's really hard to lose Raphinha I will say this about him – if you think about a young man, who was pretty much guaranteed to go on a reduced transfer fee 100 per cent to Barcelona if we were relegated and then you watch the performances and the commitment he had to making sure that the club was going to stay up,” said the head coach.

"I think it'd be hard for any, you know, 23, 24-year-old person with that kind of pressure and that kind of opportunity to perform the way that he did.

"And we are so thankful - I had that very clear conversation with him that a big part for me of us, considering to move him was the fact that he was so committed, that it made it easy for us to be very connected with what his goals in life and in his career are. So I'm hopeful for his sake, as much as it's hard to see him leave. I'm hopeful for him to get this deal done because I know it's his dream to play for Barcelona.”

What the exit means for Leeds is further financial might to conclude their own incoming business. They sold Phillips to Manchester City in a £45m deal and Raphinha, who cost £17m from Rennes in 20202, will bring in a fee in the region of £50m, with significant add-ons to potentially boost the total.

Selling two star players has helped finance the addition of six to Marsch’s squad already and Leeds are still in the market for a striker and according to Marsch may yet look at the left-back situation, following an injury to Junior Firpo that could keep him out for up to eight weeks.

He feels the two sales will help strengthen the squad.

“With Kalvin and with Raphinha it allows us to take the club on the next steps we need to go in the future,” he said.

"So that hopefully the next time that we have a player like that we can make them understand that logically actually the best option is to stay because we're pushing for big goals.

"In an ideal world would we have wanted to lose Kalvin and Raphinha no, but we also understood the realities of the situation and respected their wishes and dreams. But I think we're going to be stronger. I believe that from a depth perspective, and even from an understanding of exactly how we want to play I think we're going to be stronger. And that will certainly be the goal is to use this to help bring in the right kinds of players to move us forward.”