The Raphinha saga continues to drag on, and if it wasn’t for Leeds United going on a preseason trip to Australia then it’s likely the stalemate would continue for weeks.
That trip, and whether the Brazilian is part of it or not, will give some indication on what the Whites think about the situation.
Claims came from Brazil this week which heavily suggested the attacker could travel to Australia and even stay with Leeds this summer, given Barcelona’s inability to pay what the Premier League club want. Those claims were contradicted by some in the Catalan media, who said Raphinha wouldn’t be travelling, instead staying in Yorkshire to do his preseason training.
Barcelona are said to have submitted their ‘final offer’ for Raphinha, which consists of €55m plus bonuses. This takes things a long way from Barca’s initial stance of wanting to pay around half of that.
Leeds United are said to have a plan, and that’s to make a decision in the ‘next few hours’, so they know whether their player should travel to Australia or not.
Sport say the Whites pressed Raphinha this week, wanting him to, in turn, press Barcelona to actually make a realistic offer. That’s happened, as far as Sport are concerned, and it remains to be seen how Leeds will respond.
