According to Sport (h/t Liverpool Echo), Liverpool target Raphinha has agreed on personal terms with Spanish giants Barcelona
Leeds United winger Raphinha has been the subject of interest from Liverpool for some time now. However, the Reds are not alone in their interest with La Liga giants Barcelona also very keen on the Brazilian forward.
The Catalan club has apparently jumped ahead of the Reds in the race with Raphinha said to have agreed on personal terms with the club. If the Blaugrana manage to reach a fee agreement with Leeds, the 25-year-old winger would sign a 5-year contract and move to the Camp Nou.
The Reds have apparently not yet made a formal approach to the player or the club and with Barcelona already agreeing to terms with the player, convincing the winger to come to Anfield could prove difficult.
Bayern Munich is also said to be interested in the player along with Liverpool and Barcelona but the player’s inclination to turn down all offers other than the one from the Catalan club means we may not see a bidding war for the winger.
A potential miss?
Rafinha has been the lone spark in an otherwise struggling Leeds team. The Brazilian winger has scored nine goals and provided three assists in 28 matches across all competitions this season but has had little support from his teammates.
The 25-year-old forward is entering the prime of his career and would be a great asset for any team signing him. He has the ability to score and create chances for his teammates and as we have seen for Leeds, he is great from set-pieces.
The Brazilian’s domestic form has not gone unnoticed with Tite rewarding him with seven caps for Brazil during which he has managed to score three goals.
Rafinha could have been the perfect fit for the Reds to replace Mohamed Salah in the long-term future. The Egyptian’s future at Anfield is far from certain with talks stalling over a new contract and the Brazilian would have been the perfect replacement.
Liverpool could still have a chance though. Barcelona is yet to agree on a fee with Leeds for a transfer but it could be that the Yorkshire-based club could prefer to sell their winger abroad to Spain rather than the Reds.
It remains to be seen what happens with Raphinha. Whoever gets him will be getting a very talented player who could turn out to be world-beating.
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