Leeds United sporting director Víctor Orta has admitted he knew they had to sell Raphinha this summer as the player “deserved” his move to Barcelona.
The Brazilian forward joined the Catalans in a €58m deal in the summer after two very successful years at Elland Road.
He joined Leeds in an €18.6m deal from Rennes in October 2020 and instantly established himself as a key player under then manager Marcelo Bielsa.
He would go on to make 67 appearances in all competitions for the club during his time there, scoring 17 goals and assisting 12 as well as almost single-handedly keeping Leeds in the Premier League last season.
His departure was a major blow for the club in a summer that also saw them lose their other star man, Kalvin Phillips, in a big money move to Manchester City.
They would have preferred to keep the Brazilian around if possible, but Orta insists that wasn’t the case and he knew he had to find a deal with Barcelona at some point.
In a newly discovered interview with La Media Inglesa over the festive period, relayed by Sport, he explained the logic behind the big summer sale.
“In the end, Leeds have to respect the decision of a player who gave everything until the last moment of his career in the team, even knowing that his individual benefit was the relegation of the team,” he said.
“We had to respect the decision of a player who saved the team even though he knew that relegation was his individual benefit. (He) deserved it.
“It was very positive for Leeds, and I think it was also positive for Barça and above all for the player.
“It was a bit of a long and difficult situation because I was absolutely convinced that Raphinha would only choose Barcelona, but all the circumstances surrounding the club made it such a long story.”
