Leeds United star Raphinha will be a Barcelona player ‘in the coming days’, according to journalist Shay Lugassi.
The Lowdown: Marsch’s comments
The Whites took on Blackpool on Thursday evening in their first public pre-season fixture, winning 4-0.
Jesse Marsch revealed after the game that Raphinha had returned to training yesterday, and that it was still undecided if the 25-year-old would travel with the squad to Australia on Sunday.
The Brazilian appears to be holding out for a move to Barcelona, despite Leeds agreeing a fee with Chelsea, and it looks as if he may just get his wish.
The Latest: ‘Deal almost done’
According to Barca Times journalist Lugassi, Raphinha will be a Barcelona player ‘in the coming days’.
He shared the news on Twitter in the last 24 hours, revealing that a ‘deal is almost done’, with just ‘final details’ left and contracts already swapped.
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The Verdict: Best for all involved
It looks as if Raphinha may well get his wish over the coming days, but it remains unclear as to what the finances involved in a potential transfer would be.
Leeds may not receive a £60m up-front fee like they could have gotten from Chelsea, but the plus side of that is he won’t be joining a Premier League rival.
Hopefully the fee will still be a respectable one, as that would then allow the club to invest in a new marquee striker, which appears to be their final piece of major business to accomplish ahead of the new season.