Leeds suffer huge blow as European club make £136m transfer decision

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Leeds United have suffered another blow in their hopes of keeping Raphinha away from FC Barcelona, with the Catalan club now willing to sign the Brazilian even if Ousmane Dembele signs a new contract.

According to AS, the Leeds superstar was originally viewed as a replacement for Dembele, whose contract comes to an end this summer and looked set to leave Barcelona following another season to forget for the France international.

However, since the turn of the year, Dembele has been arguably the best player in La Liga, scoring once and bagging eight assists as Barcelona skyrocketed up the standings, and this form gave Leeds confidence that the European giants would shelve a deal for Raphinha.

However, this doesn’t appear to be the case, with Barcelona now eager to sign both the Leeds superstar as well as tie Dembele down to a new contract, with Xavi Hernandez keen on expanding his attacking options this summer.

A £136m signing in 2017, Dembele’s time at Barcelona has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent form. Yet with the former Borussia Dortmund star showing the world-class quality many expect from the 24-year-old, it makes sense why the La Liga side now want to keep him alongside signing Raphinha.

As well as a boost for Barcelona, this decision is a huge blow for Leeds, who could now lose their star player to a club where Raphinha might not be a guaranteed starter if Xavi’s side are to have a strong catalogue of wingers to choose from next season.

Barcelona could regret signing Leeds star Raphinha and renewing Dembele’s contract

A big squad with quality in depth is the basis for how any super team is made, with Manchester City running and succeeding with this model for years. Yet for Barcelona, having too many cooks in the kitchen could ultimately prove to be a bad decision.

After all, signing too many players for big fees and huge wages is how Barcelona ended up in the financial disaster they still find themselves in, and signing Raphinha from Leeds and renewing Dembele’s contract could be a car crash waiting to happen for the Catalans.