According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Arsenal have submitted an offer to Leeds United for Brazilian international Raphinha. The bid reportedly falls well short of the reported valuation of £42.9 million (€50m), with the Elland Road club expected to reject the offer out of hand.
Raphinha situation. 🚨🇧🇷 #LUFC
▫️ Barcelona agreed personal terms with Raphinha, but no agreement on fee with Leeds.
▫️ Arsenal are in direct negotiations with Leeds, interested since March.
▫️ Both Chelsea & Tottenham have been in contact too.
▫️ Fee could be around 65/75m. pic.twitter.com/39igUIOTqV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2022
Arsenal Have Submitted an Offer for Leeds United Star Raphinha
Brazilian to Bolster the Gunners
The Brazilian has enjoyed a brilliant season with Leeds United making 36 appearances and scoring 11 goals, with his creativity and eye for goal proving vital in Leeds United securing their Premier League survival.
Despite playing in a struggling team, Raphinha has caught the attention of Mikel Arteta with his creativity as a wide-right attacker. After missing out on the Champions League, the Red side of North London are ready to upgrade their attack, with the Leeds star a priority.
What Raphinha Brings to the Gunners
The Leeds United star is an Elland Road fan’s favourite where he’s vowed fans with his speed and forward-thinking play. He’s superb at cutting in off the right-hand side and unleashing a devastating shot or pass to a teammate, which Leeds fans have been accustomed to seeing.
As Leeds struggled to stay afloat towards the end of last season, he took games by the scruff of the neck, most notably in the 2-2 draw vs Brentford, where he was a menace the whole game terrorising the Brentford players with his direct running.
He has brilliant dribbling quality and is adept at hugging the touchline, which often allows him to torment players in 1v1 situations. He is superb at taking a touch and accelerating away from his marker, which gives Leeds a brilliant outlet when transitioning from defence to attack.
In one-versus-one situations, the Leeds United star can run to the byeline or use his impressive balance to shift infield and run at the heart of the opposition defence.
Raphinha is a wanted man, he has consistently shown his class throughout the last two seasons for Leeds United with his creativity and flair shining through. His performances and vital goals were instrumental in keeping Leeds afloat last campaign. The Brazilian seemingly wants to play in Europe next season, but if Arteta can sell his vision to Raphinha, he could be a brilliant signing for Arsenal.
