Leeds United have dropped a huge hint that could hand Arsenal a boost in their efforts to sign Raphinha this summer. The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium and, while Edu has reportedly had an opening bid rejected, Jesse Marsch looks to be planning for life at Elland Road without his talisman.
According to Footmercato journalist Sébastien Denis, Leeds have identified Gunners target Cody Gakpo as a potential replacement for Raphinha. Last month, football.london understood that Arsenal were interested in bringing the 23-year-old PSV winger to London Colney but, since Leeds have given Raphinha's departure the green light, Edu seems to have now set his sights on the Brazil international.
According to Fabrizio Romano, there was a secret clause in Raphinha's contract dependent on whether Leeds were relegated or not. Had the Yorkshire-based club been relegated it would have activated a £25million release clause.
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But, with Leeds evading the drop, the Brazilian now has a £65million release clause, according to The Guardian. Arsenal are said to have already had an opening bid rejected, but the Gunners are reportedly intent on signing Raphinha with a second offer on the way.
Barcelona are believed to have have registered their interest too, but the Spanish giants' well-documented financial woes appear to be holding Xavi back from tabling a bid. Nonetheless, Edu has some financial questions of his own to answer.
According to the Mirror, Arsenal throw themselves into the transfer race to sign Raphinha until Nicolas Pepe is sold. The 27-year-old, who left the Stade Pierre-Mauroy for the Emirates in 2019 for £72million, is said to be keen to leave this summer, but a move is dependant on what is deemed to be a fair price.
Mikel Arteta is said to be hoping that a large percentage of the Raphinha's fee would be generated from the sale of the Ivorian winger, offering a hint into what Edu values him at. Regardless of whether Arsenal sign Raphinha, the Gunners boss is eager to welcome several notable signings.
When asked if he expects another busy transfer window in terms of player recruitment, he said: "I am expecting so, yes. I think both competitions [the Champions League and Europa League] require a much larger squad because the amount of games you play is much bigger in both, so I don’t think [which you qualify for] makes a lot of difference or changes a lot.
"If you can financially afford it and we don’t have to do the turnaround in the squad that we’ve had to do, if you ask me what I want it’s 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers. You have to come a long way in the aspects that you see on the pitch, it’s a lot of things that have to be put in place, and that takes time."
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