Leeds United reportedly turned down a £40m bid for Raphinha from Chelsea in the January transfer window amid strong speculation that the winger is close to joining FC Barcelona.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Whites turned down a club-record offer for the Brazilian international from the west London side at the start of the year, with Chelsea eager to sign Raphinha along with La Liga giants Barcelona.
The Catalan side are reportedly close to snapping up the Leeds star, with reports this week suggesting that personal terms have already been agreed between Barcelona and Raphinha, who looks set to leave Leeds this summer.
The 25-year-old has been one of the outstanding players in the Premier League this season and a key reason why Leeds are not on the losing side of a relegation battle, with the forward bagging nine goals in the English top-flight this campaign.
And as you can expect, Raphinha’s form has caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with Chelsea seemingly bidding £40m for the attacker in January, an offer that Leeds swiftly rejected.
Indeed, Chelsea having a proposal rejected by Leeds could play well into Barcelona’s favour, with Xavi Hernandez’s side eager to sign Raphinha as the European giants look to rebuild their squad in the summer transfer window.
Rejected Chelsea bid huge boost for Barcelona’s chances for Raphinha
Raphinha leaving Leeds this summer is becoming a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if, with reports now out that Chelsea had a bid rejected for the forward, Barcelona could see this news as optimism over agreeing to a transfer for the Brazilian in the coming weeks.
After all, Leeds will likely want more than the £40m Chelsea submitted for Raphinha, and for Barcelona, they now know which ballpark they need to aim for if they are to sign the talented South American, who is already signed up to Xavi’s project if reports are to be believed.
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