Raphinha’s proposed transfer to Chelsea may not be a done deal yet, as yet another twist in the tale could be about to occur, says Paul Joyce for The Times.
Chelsea, as previously reported, have a deal with Leeds worth around £60/65 million, including add-ons, and are thought to be ‘one step away’ from agreeing personal terms, per Gianluigi Longari. Romano says that negotiation continues between Chelsea and agent Deco (yes, that Deco) but no official response has arrived.
The London side seemed to be behind Tottenham and Arsenal in the running just a week ago, but have managed to swoop in with a bid that meets Leeds’ demands where Arsenal couldn’t.
Tottenham are incredibly close to closing out a deal for Richarlison, Raphinha’s teammate for the national team, which is also worth around £60m, suggesting that Raphinha was only ever a backup option for the Italian team of Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte.
Arsenal seem to be desperate for Raphinha. They will “will try until the last minute to get this deal done” but Chelsea certainly look ahead in the race, with Leeds insisting on respecting their agreement with Chelsea instead.
FC Barcelona have had an agreement with Raphinha and Deco on personal terms for months, but have not been able to satisfy Leeds because of their financial issues. On their latest contact, Romano says:
“It’s still open on player side.” This is big: Raphinha clearly isn’t completely happy with a move to Chelsea, despite many fans taking to Twitter and Facebook to call him a ‘traitor’, amongst other things. Ultimately, if Barcelona can’t meet the club’s financial demands, he won’t be playing there next year, but with personal terms already agreed, it is clear that the Catalan giants are his preferred destination.
In addition, the club’s financial position changed today, Thursday, as the club agreed to sell 10% of their LaLiga TV rights for the next 125 years in a deal that will get them an initial £178 million. Joyce writes that Barcelona are ‘ready to make an offer worth up to £60 million’ and could ‘gazump’ Chelsea in their efforts.
With a new Dutchman or Belgian seemingly close to joining the club, take the quiz below to see how well you know Leeds United’s past and present Dutch and Belgian players.
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