Raphinha stance on Liverpool or Man Utd transfer as Bruno Fernandes big fan of Leeds star

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Leeds United have absolutely no plans to allow Raphinha to join Liverpool or Manchester United this summer as the Brazilian continues to make an impression for Marcelo Bielsa’s side – and the player is happy at Elland Road, per reports.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed an eye-catching first season in England since a £17million switch from Rennes, producing five goals and five assists in 21 Premier League matches this term.

Raphinha has been one of Leeds’ most impressive players, alongside striker Patrick Bamford in particular, and has piqued the attention of some of the big six clubs.

The South American wide-man has predominantly played on the right wing but has also operated as an attacking midfielder or as a left-sided forward.

Yet Leeds will put up a fight to prevent losing the exciting attacker, who has no release clause in his deal and is tied down in Yorkshire until the summer of 2024.

And according to the Daily Mirror Raphinha is perfectly happy at Leeds despite the apparent interest from the likes of Liverpool and United.

It remains to be seen whether his verdict would change if either of those clubs secure Champions League football next season and then make an approach for the attacker.

United talisman Bruno Fernandes has already played with Raphinha at Sporting Lisbon and was a huge fan of the winger.

“Raphinha, I miss Raphinha,” Fernandes said back in December 2019. “He’s a player with whom I had a different chemistry from the others. He understood me at a glance.

“He knew, according to the movement of my body, where I was going to put the ball to him. I also miss him because he brought joy to the locker room. He’s also a responsible and hardworking person.”

United are missing a right-sided winger having unsuccessfully pursued Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho last summer.

Sky Sports expert Jamie Carragher, however, thinks United are in need of a centre-forward more than they are a winger.

“People talk about United needing a right winger, and they do, but they need a centre forward more,” he said this week.

“If United had [Marcus] Rashford on the left, a new centre-forward, and [Mason] Greenwood supplementing a new right winger, that would address the lack of quality.

“You look at the options. In this country it’s Harry Kane, or Erling Haaland who is coming through. You wonder whether they are players Manchester United should be targeting.”

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Earlier this morning though, the Liverpool legend compared Raphinha to Reds forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, who have performed as well as any any attackers in Europe across the past three seasons.

“We’ve all been there as players and as soon as someone comes in, you think: ‘Aye, aye’,” said Carragher. “Some of his touches and his play when he comes inside, we’ve highlighted his movement as well.

“I was really impressed with him when I watched him at Leicester last weekend as well, not just by Raphinha, but Bamford as well.

“You see that shot there [prior to Bamford’s goal vs Crystal Palace], that’s so typical of a wide man, that penetrating run that we talk about with Salah, Mane and [Raheem] Sterling, all the great wide players. They make that run and he does. He has great quality on the ball.

“He assisted Bamford certainly in that Leicester game when he fired that pass in and you look at his numbers there, he looks like a real player, certainly of late.

“I think we mentioned before the game that he’s been involved in seven goals in the last eight games, so he’s always a huge threat and that’s always telling when your team-mates know from one training session.

“I’ll never forget one player – as soon as Xabi Alonso came to Liverpool – it’s like you could tell in the session, the way he passed, the pace of the pass, the noise of it.

“As a dressing room you sort of step back and say that we’ve got one here and it sounds like that was what the Leeds dressing room did [with Raphinha].”

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