Football rumours: Leeds close to accepting Barcelona’s £49m offer for Raphinha
What the papers say Leeds are understood to be about to accept Barcelona’s bid for Raphinha. The Guardian says the La Liga club have made an offer of £49million, which could rise to £57m, for the Brazil winger. Chelsea pitched £55m for the player last month but the 25-year-old reportedly has his heart set on Camp Nou. A big move may be on the cards for Newcastle as they consider a club-record deal for a new striker. The Magpies have held talks with Real Sociedad about signing Sweden international Alexander Isak, 22, according to the Telegraph. But they would need to spend almost their entire remaining transfer budget, which would mean paying more than the £42m spent on midfielder Bruno Guimaraes in January. An Old Trafford exit appears likely for one of Manchester United’s favourite sons (Gareth Fuller/PA) Cristiano Ronaldo really wants to play with Lionel Messi at Paris St-Germain, reports the Express. The paper, which cites Le Parisien, says the 37-year-old forward has offered his service to the French club, but ESPN reports PSG have turned him down as they lack the funds to cover his wages. The Mirror says Chelsea are making an “audacious” move to sign striker Robert Lewandowski, who is on the cusp of leaving Bayern Munich for Barcelona. The 33-year-old Poland international has expressed a desire for a new challenge after taking his Bundesliga club to their 10th straight title. Social media round-up Players to watch Presnel Kimpembe: The Telegraph says Chelsea are monitoring PSG’s 26-year-old France centre-back. Raul de Tomas: Newcastle have added the Espanyol and Spain striker, 27, to their shortlist, according to journalist Ekrem Konur.
Raphinha close to Barcelona move with Leeds poised to accept initial £49m bid
Raphinha is close to getting the move he wanted from Leeds to Barcelona after the Catalan club submitted a €58m (£49m) offer that could rise to €68m with add-ons. Leeds are poised to accept the bid and although there could be a delay before Barcelona can register him because of the state of their finances and La Liga’s version of financial fair play, a deal is not considered in doubt. Chelsea had a £55m offer for the Brazil winger accepted last month and there was also interest from Arsenal but Raphinha had his heart set on Barcelona. Leeds accepted some weeks ago that the 25-year-old would be leaving and prepared by signing Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord last week. They have bought another player capable of playing on the wing, Brenden Aaronson, and an outlay of about £90m on six players should now be offset by the departures of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, who has joined Manchester City for £42m plus add-ons. Brentford have completed the signing of the England Under-21 forward Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull. Brentford’s head coach, Thomas Frank, described him as “one of the biggest young talents in the Championship” and said of last season:" “He scored 13 goals and contributed four assists in a team that were fighting a little bit towards the bottom of the league. Those are impressive numbers.” The Republic of Ireland central defender Nathan Collins has joined Wolves from Burnley for £20m. The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the option of another 12 months. “We’re getting someone who is physically very good, very tall, very athletic, and is very comfortable on the ball,” said the Wolves technical director, Scott Sellars. Rabbi Matondo has moved from Schalke to Rangers for €3m on a deal to 2026. The Wales winger was at Manchester City before joining the German club.
Barcelona reach Raphinha breakthrough with Leeds ‘poised to accept’ latest bid, as Fabrizio Romano breaks down exact figures
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