Leeds United have been the surprise package of the Premier League so far this season, and Raphinha has been at the heart of that.
The deadline day signing arrived as a bit of an unknown quantity in England. He’d impressed for Rennes in 2019/20, but he’d not really registered on the radar of many top clubs.
Luckily, Leeds had noticed his talents and they managed to land him for just £17m, and he’s proven to be worth every single penny of that.
He’s earnt praise from almost every pundit around, and even his own teammates are raving about him, with Jack Harrison describing him as a ‘fantastic player’
Five goals and five assists in 20 Premier League appearances is a brilliant return from the Brazilian, so it’s no surprise to see that Liverpool are keen on signing him this summer.
However, if Raphinha is to leave Elland Road at the end of the season, we have to imagine that he’ll go for more than the £17m he was initially bought for.
There have been reports that Leeds thought the £17m fee was too low to begin with, and his performances this term haven’t done much to change the view that he’s worth a whole lot more than that.
In this day and age, it’s not ridiculous to suggest that he’s worth double what Leeds paid for him, which would make him the club’s record sale, breaking the record set by Rio Ferdinand joining Manchester United back in 2002.
The calibre of clubs showing an interest in Raphinha certainly suggests he’s worth more than the £30m United paid for Ferdinand all those years ago, and it may finally be time for Leeds to break that long-standing record.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
