Man Utd 'want' ex-Leeds United star in possible swap deal with £73m winger

Former Leeds United winger Raphinha is the subject of interest from Manchester United, according to reports in Spain. The Brazilian left Elland Road for Barcelona in the summer of 2022.

He has played 65 times for the La Liga giants since his move. He made 36 appearances in the league last term, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists as Barca lifted the La Liga title. This season, he has made 15 appearances in all competitions but started just five of the 12 league matches he has appeared in while also spending a bit of time out with a muscle injury.

Now he is being linked with a return to England, as SPORT reports the Red Devils are prepared to bring Raphinha to Old Trafford if they can send outcast Jadon Sancho the other way. Sancho has not played for Erik ten Hag's side since a public falling out with his manager at the beginning of the season.

Raphinha spent two seasons with Leeds before his move to Spain, scoring 17 goals and providing 12 assists in 67 games for the Elland Road club. He became a firm fan favourite during his time in West Yorkshire. Before his move to Barca, he was wanted by Chelsea while he was also strongly linked with Arsenal.

However, he opted against moving to either of those sides, who were Premier League rivals to Leeds at the time. He has been linked with a departure from the La Liga outfit previously, due to the financial problems Barcelona have faced in recent years. Their spending limit has been cut while they have also been required to drastically reduce their wage bill.

Raphinha said in an interview with Brazilian outlet UOL last year he had always wanted a move to Barca, and a switch to Man United feels unlikely given his desire to play for Barcelona and his relationship with Leeds.

He said: “When people ask me if I imagined leaving Leeds for the biggest club in the world, which is Barcelona, ​​and joining the Brazilian national team within a year, I answer that I not only imagined it, but also managed to achieve it. With a lot of effort and dedication I achieved what I always wanted. I had a lot of offers after my time at Leeds, but I knew exactly what I wanted. My childhood idols played for Barcelona, so I had the dream of coming here and I spared no effort to achieve it."

Speaking of his time with Leeds, he said: “I was very happy wearing the Leeds shirt. I worked with [Marcelo] Bielsa, a very demanding guy who welcomed me with open arms. In fact, I enjoy working with demanding people.

"With him, we knew there was time to play, yes, but only during training breaks, because in the field the bug catches. The Premier League is a league of quality players, but even so, I managed to do what I love most: dribbling."