Raphinha opens up on his future amidst links to Chelsea amongst others
In an interview with BBC Radio Leeds (h/t Metro), Leeds United star Raphinha, who has been linked to Chelsea and other top clubs has given a statement regarding his future and ambition with his current club. The Brazilian emphasized that his sole purpose is delivering on the pitch for the Peacocks.
The 25-year-old has been a revelation in the Premier League. The former Sporting CP player has played 19 Premier League games for the Peacocks this season during which he has scored eight goals and provided two assists. The forward has also been an instrumental part of Marcelo Bielsa’s setup considering the mounting injury issues faced by Leeds this season.
The Brazilian forward’s performances have caught the eye of some of the top clubs in England. There seems to be interest from fellow rivals Manchester United and Liverpool. It is also understood that West Ham United made a club-record bid of £50million that was rejected by Leeds.
In the interview, the 25-year-old Brazilian forward insisted that he was solely focused on giving his best for Leeds United at the moment. He is currently enjoying his football and chose not to comment further on all the speculation surrounding his future at the club.
“I’ve got a contract until 2024, my head is totally here and focused on Leeds. As for contractual matters, I leave them to my agent and my dad. I just focus on playing my football and making the Leeds fans happy, scoring goals, providing assists, and getting victories for the team. Contractual matters are for my agent, my focus is on making people happy with my football and doing as best as I can for Leeds.”
What Raphinha can add to Chelsea
The Blues already have an extravagant collection of attackers in their squad. The defending UEFA Champions League winners have spent an enormous amount of money on acquiring the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner in recent windows. Despite the huge price tags the duo has failed to replicate the form that they had shown at their previous clubs.
The last time Werner or Lukaku scored was in the 5-1 FA Cup demolition of minnow Chesterfield FC who ply their trade in the fifth tier of the English football league. Their poor output coupled with a lack of consistency in the attacking half of the pitch could therefore tempt the London-based club to add a suitable forward to their ranks.
Raphinha is a proven talent in the PL and has taken his performances up a notch since joining the Whites for a £17million move from Rennes in October 2020. After seeing the kind of impact that he has had at Elland Road, the price tag could be considered a great bargain.
Bielsa has also been a firm admirer of the Brazilian star and showered praise on him recently. The Argentine coach plays a very demanding brand of football and his comment highlights the ability that the 25-year-old possesses right now:
“Raphinha’s the best player in the team in all the senses. Physically he’s the best, technically he’s at the level of the best and his interpretation of the game is very wise.”
The Blues were pretty nonchalant in the January transfer window which means that they could be looking to make a splash in the summer. Raphinha’s current contract with Leeds extends until 2024 and there seems to be a pretty positive relationship between him and the Peacocks.
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This means that it would be difficult to lure him away from Elland Road. If such a transfer was ever made possible the Blues might have to spend an enormous amount of money whilst also fighting off suitors who would be ready to pounce at any given opportunity.