Liverpool lead Man United and Man City in the race for Raphinha

Transfer News: Liverpool lead Man United, Man City in race for Raphinha

According to transfer news from reputed Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari on Twitter, Liverpool are ahead of rivals Manchester United and Manchester City in the race for Leeds United winger Raphinha.

Having come through the youth ranks at Brazilian club Avai FC, Raphinha moved to Europe in 2016, signing for Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes. After two years at the club, he moved to Sporting CP where he enjoyed a productive campaign before joining French club Rennes in the summer of 2019.

A solid season in Ligue 1 led to Leeds United moving in on him last year, and Raphinha has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving in England. Indeed, the 24-year-old Brazilian finished his debut season with the Whites with impressive returns of six goals and nine assists from 30 Premier League matches.

Liverpool interested in Raphinha (GETTY Images)

This has now sparked plenty of interest in the Brazilian winger’s services, with Liverpool also said to be keen on signing him. A move for the 24-year-old does make sense from the club’s perspective considering how over reliant the team was on Mohamed Salah last season in the final third.

Indeed, Sadio Mane endured an underwhelming season while the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi hardly made any notable contributions. With the latter duo’s futures uncertain as well, bringing in attacking reinforcements could have a major impact just like Diogo Jota’s arrival last summer did.

Raphinha, to that end, would be a handy addition for Liverpool and it seems like the Reds are leading the chase for the Leeds winger, with Manchester United and Manchester City also interested.

Confirmed. Liverpool lead the race for #Raphinha but also Manchester United and Manchester City are following the winger. Not a simple deal cause Leeds want to keep him. #LFC #LUFC #MUFC #MCFC @tvdellosport https://t.co/Pj7ziC5apy

— Gianluigi Longari (@Glongari) June 3, 2021

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A deal to sign Raphinha, though, will be tricky given as Leeds United are intent on keeping hold of him. So, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool are able to secure the transfer of the South American speedster.