Pundit Alan Hutton has made a claim on the future of Leeds United winger Raphinha, as per Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Wolves absence
Raphinha has been the Whites’ standout performer this season, as per WhoScored, contributing to 12 goals in 26 starts. However, the 25-year-old was missing on Friday night against Wolves after testing positive for a viral infection shortly before the trip to Molineux, and he will now miss out on representing Brazil during the international break.
Jesse Marsch then lost Patrick Bamford, Diego Llorente, Mateusz Klich and Illan Meslier through injury, but Leeds staged a dramatic late comeback from 2-0 down, with Luke Ayling smashing in a dramatic winner in stoppage time.
The Latest: Hutton’s comments
Football Insider relayed claims from Fabrizio Romano, who revealed last week that Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are all keen on the Brazilian’s services ahead of the summer window.
Hutton, who contributes for BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider in a story published on Saturday morning about Raphinha, believing that Leeds are going to ‘find it very difficult to hold on to him’.
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The former Scotland defender stated:
“It’s a much different situation to Kalvin Phillips.
“Phillips has ties to Leeds which go way back. He’s a fan, whereas Raphinha will definitely have urgent ambitions to play at a higher level.
“So if they do stay up, and there are offers from those types of teams, Liverpool and Barcelona – Leeds are going to find it very difficult to hold on to him.
“He’ll be thinking: ‘Do I want to be fighting relegation or fighting for winner’s medals at the highest level’.
“I think he would make that move, whereas Phillips – Leeds through and through – would want to fight for the cause.”
The Verdict: A worry
It doesn’t exactly come as a surprise to see some of Europe’s biggest clubs looking at Raphinha, making the next few months crucial towards his future at Leeds.
Of course, it’s a worry knowing that he could leave Elland Road two years after joining from Rennes, so it’s crucial that the Whites remain in the top flight.
Relegation would reportedly drop Raphinha’s release clause from €75m (£62.4m) to €25m (£20.8m), so if a summer exit is to materialise, Leeds need to guarantee their Premier League status in the meantime.
In other news: Phil Hay makes big claim regarding future of ‘astonishing’ Leeds starlet
