Leeds United have insisted they have not received any offers for Raphinha, with the club describing the speculation as ‘clickbait’.
The Brazilian midfielder joined Leeds from Rennes last year, and he has proved to be an excellent piece of business for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Reports have suggested both Liverpool and Manchester United are keeping tabs on Raphinha , but the club’s director of football Victor Orta has moved to ease fans’ concerns by insisting no approach has been made.
What has been said?
“To be clear, we have not had any approach for Raphinha and we would not welcome one,” Orta told BBC Radio Leeds .
“It is for clickbait to create business for the websites.”
Orta’s comments were echoed by Whites chief executive Angus Kinnear.
"We have a fantastic coach, fantastic coaching setup, fantastic squad and we give all the players every reason to stay at Leeds United,” Kinnear said . “And we think we have got enough ambition to match their ambition.
“At the moment, from Raphinha he loves playing for Leeds United. And the only thing he does not love about Leeds United now is there are no fans.
"We have a lot more to see and a lot more to come from him.”
Raphinha’s importance to Leeds
After finally securing promotion to the Premier League last year, Leeds required a personnel boost to reflect their new-found position in the elite division.
Raphinha was identified as a player capable of performing in the Premier League, and he has not disappointed.
A left-footed winger who prefers to operate down the right flank, Raphinha has caused headaches for full-backs with his pace and skill.
If Leeds have ambitions of challenging towards the top of the division, they need to make statements of intent by keeping a player such as Raphinha and bringing in similar talents to complement their impressive Brazilian.
Further reading
- Raphinha ‘really happy’ at Leeds amid Liverpool and Man Utd links
- Will Bamford play for England or Ireland?
- Bamford would relish the competition of Haaland at Leeds
