On Saturday, we covered claims from France that Leeds United were working to sign Raphinha from Rennes.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been looking for a midfielder at the end of the window and have made several attempts to get a deal done. Raphinha isn’t that, operating mainly on the right wing, so either Leeds have ditched the midfielder idea or there’s a bigger budget at Elland Road than expected.
Ouest France, a newspaper local to Rennes, report the Ligue 1 side have now accepted an offer for Leeds. That bid consists of a €17m flat fee and a further €6m in potential bonus payments.
They then go on to say that a hearing will be held on Monday to see if the player is eligible for a work permit.
When covering the story on Saturday, we checked to see what Raphinha’s listed passport status is. South American footballers often seek an EU passport, and Wyscout, the professional scouting platform, lists Raphinha as having an Italian passport. If that’s the case then a work permit won’t be a problem.
Should it be wrong, Leeds United will have to use the points system, and any permit will largely depend on the transfer fee paid and wages offered to the player.
