Leeds United have had a very good transfer window so far.
Yes, they’ve lost Kalvin Phillips, but the additions of Tyler Adams, Rasmus Kristensen, Brendan Aaronson and Luis Sinisterra should leave the Whites in a stronger position than they were in last season.
Leeds’ window is far from over yet, the Whites need to sign a new striker, and, of course, there’s the small matter of resolving Raphinha’s future.
Indeed, the Brazilian has been linked with a move away from Elland Road for months at this point, and it looks as though things could finally be about to come to a head on that front.
It’s been reported that Barcelona are now finally set to sign the winger for a fee of £65m, and while Leeds fans will certainly be sad to see Raphinha go, it has to be said that £65m is an incredible fee to receive for this player.
In fact, in our view, the handling of this sale may well be the best work Victor Orta has done yet at Leeds.
Leeds received a number of lower offers from Arsenal and Chelsea, and any other Director of Football could have buckled early, but Orta knew that Barcelona were keen enough, and perhaps naïve enough, to come in at a much higher price point.
Now, we’re not saying that Raphinha is a bad player. After all, he scored 11 Premier League goals in a team that was almost relegated last term, but £65m is an utterly ridiculous price for the Brazilian.
For all of his good traits, Raphinha still played his part in Leeds’ poor campaign last season, and while he dragged the Whites out of the mire on a number of occasions, he downed tools during the final weeks of Marcelo Bielsa’s reign, and he was even dropped from the team at one point.
If you’re getting dropped from a team that is staring relegation in the face, can you really be a £65m footballer?
Yes, he’s brilliant on his day, but when you consider that £65m will make him one of the most expensive players ever, you can’t help but question this fee.
Luckily for Leeds, Barcelona are willing to cough up the cash, and while they could have accepted Arsenal’s early summer offer, they’ve remained strong and that’s netted them an extra £25m.
Victor Orta gets plenty of criticism at Leeds, but he’s pulled off a masterstroke in negotiations when it comes to selling Raphinha.
This sale may well be looked back on as Orta’s best work as Leeds’ Director of Football.
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