The Whites have reached an agreement with Chelsea that would see the winger move to Stamford Bridge for around £60m and, crucially, the Blues can pay up front.
Raphinha‘s agent Deco came to terms with his former club Barcelona on Raphinha’s personal demands months ago but Leeds are yet to be convinced that the LaLiga giants can match the offer on the table from Chelsea and deliver the cash in one go.
The money brought in from the winger’s sale and Kalvin Phillips‘ move to Manchester City is what will trigger the next phase of Victor Orta’s rebuild, with several deals lined up in order to bring in three more senior players.
Orta plans to replace Raphinha with a winger, Phillips with a central defensive midfielder and add a striker to Jesse Marsch’s attacking options.
Barcelona have been slow to officially enter the race for the 25-year-old Brazilian international, focusing most of their energy in the early part of the summer on financial mechanisms that can at least temporarily fix their cashflow problems arising from historical debt, but Laporta clearly believes they have a good chance.
“I don’t think it will offend them [saying this] because we have spoken personally and we are in communication, but there are also other clubs that want Raphinha and have made their offers.
“We know that the player would like to come to Barcelona.”
Check out the latest Premier League transfer speculation below...
1. Saints agree Lavia deal
Southampton have agreed to pay up to £14m for Manchester City prospect Romeo Lavia. (Daily Mail)
2. Everton in defender talks
Everton are in negotiations to sign Udinese defender Rodrigo Becao, but an agreement is still some distance off being reached. (Gianluca Di Marzio)
3. Gunners update on Tielemans
Arsenal have already agreed personal terms with Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, but are yet to table a formal bid for the Belgian. Any deal could cost up to £32m. (Ben Jacobs)
4. Roberts in demand
Leeds United forward Tyler Roberts is drawing interest from a number of Championship clubs after they were alerted to his availability. QPR, Hull City, Birmingham City, Cardiff City, and Huddersfield Town are all keen on the Wales international. (Daily Mail)
5. Cucurella still on City radar
Manchester City will submit a proposal for Brighton defender Marc Cucurella once they have sold either Nathan Ake or Raheem Sterling. The full-back is a “top target” for the Premier League champions. (Fabrizio Romano)
6. Osimhen attracting Toon interest
Newcastle United have had Napoli striker Victor Osimhen ‘on their radar’ this summer. The player is valued at around £94m by his current club. (Pete O’Rourke)