Leeds United look set to miss out on a reported €12 million clause inserted into the deal to take Raphinha to Barcelona in the summer. The Whites are set to land the large windfall if Barcelona win the Champions League but that is now looking very unlikely this season.
The Spanish side’s hopes of remaining in the competition hang by the thinnest of threads after a 3-3 draw with Inter Milan at the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening. That means Barcelona remain three points behind Inter with just two matches remaining but would need a major turn of results in order to qualify.
Unlike in the Premier League, the Champions League uses head-to-head points rather than goal difference, putting Inter very much in pole position. The Italian side host Group C’s whipping boys Viktoria Plzen at the San Siro in their next match, and know that a win will guarantee their qualification to the knockout stages.
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Barcelona, meanwhile, must beat both Bayern Munich and Viktoria Plzen, while simultaneously hoping that Inter are unable to win any of their final two group matches against the same opposition. Given the money they spent on not only Raphinha during the summer, but also the likes of Jules Kounde and Robert Lewandowski, their likely elimination will come as a surprise to many.
From a financial point of view, Leeds will be hoping that Barcelona's struggles on the pitch do not continue so that clauses can be met during the rest of Raphinha's five-year deal that he signed at the Nou Camp.
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