Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told RAC1 that the club really like Leeds United winger and reported Liverpool target Raphinha.
Liverpool has added that he has a very good relationship with Raphinha’s agent Deco, a former Barcelona player.
Sport reported over the past weekend that Barcelona are confident of signing the Brazil international winger despite having an initial bid turned down by Leeds.
According to 90min, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are interested in Raphinha, who cost Leeds £17 million in transfer fees in the summer of 2020 (The Athletic).
Laporta told RAC1, as translated by journalist Fabrizio Romano: “Raphinha is a player we really like and it’s true that Deco’s his agent. We’ve very good relationships.
“I want to clarify that Deco’s not paid by the club. He will just help us because he dominates the Brazilian market.”
Laporta comments on Raphinha concern for Leeds and Liverpool
In our opinion, Laporta publicly saying that Barcelona want to sign Raphinha is a concern for Leeds as well as for Liverpool.
Barcelona may be going through financial difficulties at the moment, but we cannot ignore their rich tradition and history.
Barca are one of the biggest clubs in the world, and with Deco involved, they will be confident of getting a deal done for Raphinha.
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Leeds will be aware that the Brazil international winger will see Barcelona as a huge step-up.
As for Liverpool, they signed Luis Diaz only in the January transfer window, so convincing Raphinha that he will play regularly could be tricky.
Barcelona have publicly expressed their admiration of Raphinha, who could now feel that he is wanted a lot more at Camp Nou than at Anfield.
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