Leeds: £60m star's 'body language' now hints at Elland Road exit | OneFootball

The ‘body language’ of Leeds United winger Raphinha suggests he could be leaving the club in the summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

It’s been a difficult campaign for the Whites and things could get even worse for them over the coming months as many of their top performers have been linked with moves away from Elland Road.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona made an opening offer of €35 million (£29m) for Raphinha back in March after beginning their search for Ousmane Dembele’s potential heir.

Well-known reporter and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano then revealed that the Catalan giants are ‘in well advanced talks’ with Raphinha’s agent, former Chelsea star Deco.

However, The Mirror claim that Leeds have slapped a £60m price tag on their prized asset, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich and West Ham also listed as potential suitors.

And Romano has provided an update on the Brazil international’s situation on the latest episode of his Here We Go podcast.

It’s claimed that Deco has ‘discussed every single detail’ with Barca president Joan Laporta as Raphinha is a ‘top target’ for the club, but they will only enter into negotiations when they know Leeds’ fate.

The west Yorkshire outfit are embroiled in a relegation battle heading into the final day of the campaign and Raphinha has a £25m relegation release clause inserted into his contract.

What has O’Rourke said about Raphinha?

Following Leeds’ final home game of the season last time out, Raphinha was pictured slumped up against the goalpost looking emotional, and O’Rourke believes it’s a sign that his future lies elsewhere.

He told GiveMeSport: “Reading between the lines, looking at Raphinha’s body language and everything else, that looked like he was being very reflective there just after the final home game of the season at Elland Road.

“We’ve all heard the reports of Barcelona really pushing to try and sign Raphinha; that looks like it’s a real goer and could happen in the summer even if Leeds do manage to stay up.”

How big a miss would Raphinha be?

Raphinha has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most feared attacking stars since arriving from Rennes in October 2020, registering 16 goals and 12 assists in 66 appearances.

The South American’s scintillating displays have seen him be lauded as “unbelievable” by pundit Paul Merson and his underlying numbers back that assessment up.

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As per WhoScored, Raphinha has managed 2.4 shots, 1.9 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per league game throughout 2021/22, bettering the tallies of his teammates in each metric.

Losing the immensely talented forward would be a huge blow to Leeds, but his exit appears to be inevitable at this stage.