Liverpool's Raphinha stance made clear as Leeds United witness €75 million agreement

The Brazilian international is currently enjoying some downtime in his homeland but remains a fixture of transfer window gossip columns.

Raphinha's future will continue to be a hotly-debated topic in West Yorkshire this summer, until a definitive decision is made one way or the other.

It appears unlikely the 25-year-old will sign improved terms at Elland Road, but a Leeds stay is not out of the question if suitors cannot raise funds to remove him from his United contract.

Barcelona remain interested in the player but will struggle to finance a deal which brings Raphinha to Camp Nou, whilst the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich have turned their attentions elsewhere to this point.

A statement from Portuguese giants Benfica stated the club had “reached an agreement with Liverpool FC for the sale of all rights to the player Darwin Nunez, for the amount of 75 million euros” on Monday morning.

Purchasing the Uruguayan attacker represents a considerable outlay for the Merseyside club if they intend to retain all of their current attacking options, Divock Origi aside, who leaves Anfield at the end of the month.

Given the transfer fee Leeds are likely to command for Raphinha's services, it seems improbable that Liverpool will also pursue a deal for the Brazilian now that negotiations have been concluded for 22-year-old Nunez.

Elsewhere in the transfer market, Real Madrid signed off on the £70 million addition of French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni while Manchester City have taken pride in parading new attackers Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland this summer for a combined total of £82.5 million.

While this indicates elite clubs do have the resources required to sign Raphinha for a sum Leeds deem acceptable, they have prioritised strengthening other areas instead.

Bayern Munich were linked with a move for Raphinha six months ago, but have set their sights on Liverpool's Sadio Mane, seeing two approaches rejected for the Senegalese forward already this summer.

Leeds are not understood to have received any formal approaches for Raphinha as yet.

Due to United's Premier League survival, the club expect to make a considerable return on the Brazilian initially signed for £17 million in October 2020.

Speculation surrounding Raphinha's future is poised to continue long into the summer window, however the odds on a Liverpool switch have lengthened with their addition of Nunez.