Raphinha wants Barcelona, not Liverpool
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Raphinha will turn down a move to Liverpool with the Brazilian winger holding out for his dream switch to Barcelona.
The 25-year-old is thought to have a price tag of around €65 million after he scored 11 goals for Leeds in the Premier League this season, slightly higher than his FootballTransfers valuation of €44m.
Liverpool are thought to have identified Raphinha as a replacement for Sadio Mane, who is likely to leave for Bayern Munich this summer, and were willing to offer Takumi Minamino in exchange.
However, despite Liverpool being more likely to afford Leeds' asking price, Raphinha reportedly already has an agreement in place with Barcelona and is desperate for the move.
FootballTransfers reported back in March that Barcelona were the preferred destination for Raphinha and that his agent, Deco, had spoken to both the Catalan giants and Chelsea. Given the circumstances at Stamford Bridge, Barcelona are now the clear front-runners - if their financial situation holds up.
Related articles
Where will Raphinha be playing next season?
Teams initially began registering an interest in Raphinha earlier in the season as Leeds began to slide closer to the relegation places.
The 24-year-old was believed to have a release clause in his contract should Leeds have gone down, however the Whites secured survival on the final day of the season.
The change in fate meant that some teams were priced out of a move for Raphinha, including Barcelona, however the Spanish side still consider him a priority target.
With Ousmane Dembele out of contract and set to leave the club, Barca are looking for a wide player and the club have already made contact over signing Angel Di Maria on a free transfer.
Barcelona sporting director Mateu Alemany will reportedly travel to Leeds this week to hopefully come to an agreement, although Leeds have no incentive to lower their asking price.
🇧🇷 Raphinha retained his place in Brazil’s Starting XI today, playing 63 minutes of their 1-0 win over Japan pic.twitter.com/u0qvwVS2bC
— Leeds United (@LUFC) June 6, 2022
Meanwhile Liverpool may still consider themselves contenders for Raphinha should Barcelona and Leeds fail to agree terms on a fee, although they are likely to consider other targets.
Manchester United and Real Madrid are among the other teams credited with an interest in Raphinha however the forward could also end up staying at Leeds for another season.
