Paul Merson expects Raphinha to leave Leeds United in the summer even if the Whites avoid relegation. Reports continue to link the Brazil international with a move to Barcelona with rumours surfacing about contact between the Spanish giants and his representatives.
Leeds will still be hoping to tie Raphinha down to a new contract but it does seem as though his head has been turned by the speculation linking him with one of Europe’s elite sides. Although, while they are currently the strongest linked side to the 25-year-old, Barcelona may end up retracting their interest as they have made moves in the last few days to extend Ousmane Dembele’s contract at Camp Nou.
Merson believes that the Leeds star will still look to agree a move away from Elland Road at the end of the season. In his weekly Premier League predictions column with sportskeeda, the former Arsenal forward said: “Raphinha is a player who has generated a lot of transfer talk in recent weeks, with Barcelona reportedly interested in snapping him up this summer.
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“I think he'll leave Leeds regardless of what happens - he's capable of playing for any of the big boys in the Premier League. Real Madrid and Barcelona still have the charm when it comes to foreign players - when either of the two clubs come for a player, they inevitably end up getting them.”
Those comments won’t come as a particular surprise for Whites supporters with many coming to terms that a summer departure looks likely in light of the speculation. They are more than aware that a player of Raphinha’s quality, while he may not have shown it recently, should be playing at the very top level.
Of course, fans would love that to come at Leeds but the return of European football to Elland Road seems some way off at the moment. If Raphinha does want a move to one of Europe’s bigger sides, the demand from supporters will be for the club to ensure they sell him for as much as they possibly can.
