Leeds United claim made amid Raphinha transfer update | OneFootball

Leeds United supporters will have rather fond memories of Raphinha.

Signed from Rennes ahead of the club's return from the Premier League, the Brazilian played a key role at Elland Road as the Whites survived two consecutive seasons in the top-flight.

FC Barcelona sign Raphinha

Of course, Raphinha's performances were so impressive that eventually, huge clubs came calling, with FC Barcelona eventually snapping up the attacker in the summer of 2022.

Across two seasons at Elland Road, Raphinha racked up 67 performances for Leeds, scoring 17 goals and registering two assists in that time.

The Catalan giants were able to beat a host of English clubs to his signature, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham having also been keen.

Barca paid a reported £49 million fee for the Brazilian intitially, with a further £6 million to be paid in add-ons.

In the current climate in which we see nine digit transfer fees on occasion, that seems a relatively fair deal for Barcelona.

In that sense, Leeds may regret not pushing for a slightly higher fee.

Leeds United claim made regarding Raphinha

They may also have regrets regarding another aspect of Raphinha's sale, it has now been claimed.

That is according to Pete O'Rourke via Football Insider, who claims that the Whites will have a "tinge of regret" for not including a sell-on clause in the deal to sell the Brazilian.

It is sometimes common practice for selling clubs to do this. For example, when Coventry City sold star forward Viktor Gyokeres to Sporting last summer, they included a sell-on clause believed to be somewhere in the region of 10-15%.

This means that if Gyokeres is sold from Sporting, Coventry City will be due further money.

Unfortunately, no such clause exists in the Raphinha deal, according to Football Insider, and recent reports suggest Leeds may well be kicking themselves about this.

Raphinha linked with FC Barcelona transfer

As per Football Insider, Raphinha is now being linked with a move away from FC Barcelona, with one club in particular willing to pay a huge fee for his services.

As per their report, Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are readying a deal worth up to £86 million to FC Barcelona, and are ready to triple the Brazilian's salary.

Liverpool and Spurs are also supposedly keen, but Al-Hilal are reportedly ready to make the first move for the player this summer.

Leeds United will have Raphinha regrets

Given that the player is being linked with such an eyewatering financial move away from FC Barcelona, it is hard not to concur with Pete O'Rourke's claim above.

Surely the Whites will have at least a tinge of regret when it comes to the fact that Raphinha does not have a sell on clause.

If he does sell for the reported £86 million quoted above, Leeds would have netted millions had one been included, and that sort of money is not to be sniffed at.

The club are under new ownership now, in fairness, but they must make sure to learn from this glaring error of the previous administration when it comes to player sales in the future.