Transfer News: Raphinha reluctant to break ‘good relationship’ with Leeds amid Liverpool interest
According to the Mirror, Liverpool target Raphinha intends to stay at Leeds amid a problematic phrase and would likely reject any move away from the club.
Raphinha has been one of the most promising attackers in England this season. The Brazilian has already netted eight goals in 16 Premier League appearances and is looking threatening ahead of the second half of the season. The 25-year-old currently stands joint-4th in the English top-flight’s top-scorer list.
His scintillating form has attracted a lot of interest from big clubs recently. It is believed that Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are all tracking the situation surrounding the Brazilian forward.
Even though Raphinha has been impressive in the first half of the season, his team has failed to acquire promising results. Leeds are currently 16th in the Premier League with only one win in their last five matches. Marcelo Bielsa’s team is just 5 points above Burnley, who are in the relegation zone.
Any move for Raphinha in the coming transfer window would hurt Leeds as the Brazilian clearly has been one of the best players in Bielsa’s team. It is believed that the 25-year-old forward doesn’t want to betray the trust of his club and the fans by accepting an exit move.
Liverpool, on the other hand, must start looking ahead of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for the sake of the long-term future of the club. The African duo isn’t getting any younger and despite showing no signs of slowing down right now, the two can only lead our attack for so long. Furthermore, They would depart for AFCON soon, which will be a blow to our title hopes.
Raphinha has shown that he can become a medicine man even under challenging situations. The German manager has been using Salah for almost every Premier League game this term and when the Egyptian isn’t firing, we suffer- as evidenced in the 1-0 loss against Leicester City.
More Liverpool News
- Jurgen Klopp suggests Liverpool won’t be able to catch Manchester City this season
- Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders wants head manager role in the future
- Transfer News: Chelsea enter the race to sign Liverpool target Raphinha from Leeds
We were also without Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino for that game, which further raises question marks over what our approach will be when our two African wingers depart for AFCON in January.
However, Raphinha’s stance makes it difficult for Liverpool to sign, and the only option for Jurgen Klopp’s side is to play the waiting game if they really do want to lure the Leeds winger away from his current team. The good news is, a summer transfer hasn’t been ruled out.
