What Leeds United said on outstanding Raphinha payment as Barcelona make another drastic move

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has admitted that he does not know how Barcelona have been able to afford the deal they agreed to sign Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger left Elland Road earlier in the summer transfer window for a fee of around £55 million, with the Catalan giants beating the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to his signature.

Barcelona’s recent financial issues have been well-documented, however, with the La Liga side reportedly unable to register new signings with the governing body, and a number of high-profile names seemingly destined for the exit door.

Perhaps most drastically, according to The Athletic, Barca have now opened talks with senior stars such as Gerard Pique over the prospect of imposing pay cuts that could allow them the financial freedom to officially add the likes of Raphinha to their domestic squad.

But with so much uncertainty surrounding the Spanish club’s current situation, Radrizzani has addressed what it could mean for Leeds and the money they are owed.

What has Radrizzani said about Raphinha’s sale?

Speaking about the Brazilian’s exit, the Elland Road chief admitted that he had to dig his heels in to secure a suitable deal from Barcelona.

He told TheAthletic : “We had interest from Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona. The best deal was with Chelsea, but in the end the deal with Barcelona is pretty much the same as the one we structured with Chelsea.

“It took time, it was hard, we had to manage well and as I said I would rather not sell but I didn’t have a choice.”

Radrizzani also suggested that he is unsure as to how the La Liga managed to find the money to sign the winger given their financial predicament.

He claims Leeds will find out if Barcelona can pay for the on September 2nd, and if not plans to launch a “global case” against the club.

He said: “No, I don’t know the behind the scenes and suddenly how they found the money and how it works, it is not clear.

“I will tell you on September 2nd - if not we will have a global case on all the media in the world about Barcelona.”