In his latest column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano shed some further light on the neverending Raphinha saga. Focusing on just Arsenal, Romano states that manager Mikel Arteta is “really in love” with the Leeds United winger and would like to sign him, with Nicolas Pepe likely departing the club.
Mikel Arteta ‘In Love’ With Leeds Winger Raphinha
In Demand
The chase for the Leeds attacker might be one of the most crowded in the entire summer transfer window. Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur all have various levels of interest in the player. Just recently, Romano had to release a major update on every club with interest in the Brazilian.
Raphinha situation 🇧🇷 #LUFC
◽️ Arsenal proposal reported by @David_Ornstein, not enough for Leeds;
◽️ Tottenham told Leeds they want to make a bid;
◽️ Barça, personal terms agreed months ago but Leeds will never accept €40/45m;
◽️ Todd Boehly explored situation for Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/pis6zCO6K8— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 22, 2022
The situation is a complicated one as Barcelona have reportedly agreed on personal terms with the player, but they cannot meet the valuation set by the Whites. Meanwhile, the Gunners’ London rivals seem to be gearing up to step up their chase of the player once they get other deals over the line, like Chelsea’s chase of Raheem Sterling.
Read More: 77-Cap England International Showing Interest in Chelsea Move
Arteta may have a lot of love for Raphinha but his club will have to start making progress on the deal if he wants to secure the signing of the highly-touted wide-man.
Leeds May Not Sell
The Yorkshire-based side barely clung on to Premier League survival in the last campaign, one of the last things they will be eager to do is sell one of their top players. While the club has already invested money into strengthening the team, they would certainly miss the 11 goals and added attacking flair brought to them by the 25-year-old winger last season.
It is important to note that Leeds have the Brazilian locked in for two more years, meaning they don’t necessarily have to part with the player this off-season and could hold out for another year if they want to maximise the players’ impact at the club.
