Marsch: Raphinha has 'urgency for a solution' over Leeds future
Raphinha wants ‘urgent solution’ over his Leeds future, reveals Jesse Marsch – who admits he’s unsure if wantaway £60m-rated Barcelona and Chelsea target will travel on pre-season Australia tour
- Leeds are due to play two pre-season games in Australia on July 14 and July 17
- However, they could be without Raphinha who wants a quick answer to his future
- Barcelona and Chelsea are both vying for Brazilian – who wants to join the former
Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has conceded that talisman Raphinha is pushing for a quick resolution to his transfer saga – which could see him omitted from their pre-season tour of Australia.
Leeds’ preparation for the new campaign has been disrupted by Raphinha’s situation – with Barcelona and Chelsea both battling to sign the wantaway winger this summer.
As detailed by Sportsmail, the Brazilian has attracted a lot of attention following his fruitful two-year spell at Elland Road, scoring a crucial goal in Leeds’ 2-1 victory against Brentford on the final day of last season to secure Premier League survival.
Leeds United could be without wantaway winger Raphinha for their Australia pre-season tour
Barcelona and Chelsea have each hotly pursued the 25-year-old, with the latter having seen a £60million bid accepted from the Yorkshire club.
However, Raphinha has made clear his preference to sign for the Spanish giants and will reportedly hold out for a move to the Nou Camp, having already rebuffed interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.
Leeds’ No 10 didn’t play in Thursday’s pre-season 4-0 win over Blackpool and speaking post-match Marsch admitted that he could be absent for their upcoming tour Down Under too.
‘My guess is, I don’t know. We just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of days,’ Marsch said.
‘There’s urgency from his end, I think, to come up with a solution. We have to in the next couple of days see how things stand and see how we go.
The 25-year-old is heavily linked with a move to Chelsea but would prefer a Barcelona switch
‘It hasn’t been an easy time for him this summer. Things have come and gone and there have been a lot of little discussions. Right now he’s our player.
‘He showed up today and trained with everybody, he had such a good attitude. We had a very open and honest conversation about while he’s here he’s part of us, and then we’ll see what happens. It’s still a long way to go in the transfer window.
‘I know he has hopes and dreams. I know he loves this team and this club and he loves being here. We’ll see how things progress day by day.’
Leeds will participate in the inaugural Queensland Champions Cup next week. They begin against the Brisbane Roar at Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium on July 14 before facing Aston Villa three days later at the Suncorp Stadium in Perth.
Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch admits there is ‘urgency’ from Raphinha for a quick solution
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