Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United join transfer race for Leeds United star Raphinha
According to Sportitalia (h/t Express), Manchester United have entered the race to sign Leeds United star Raphinha in the summer, who has caught the eye of several European clubs with his performances in the Premier League.
The Brazilian only moved to Elland Road in 2020, in the time that he has been there, he has arguably been their most prolific star. The winger has been a constant attacking threat for the Peacocks and supplied them with goals and assists regularly.
United are in the market for a forward option in the summer, with their current crop of attackers churning out disappointing performances this season and have failed to break down opposition defences.
However, any move by the Red Devils for Raphinha would see them battle other European clubs interested in him, such as Chelsea and Barcelona. Liverpool were also believed to be keen admirers of the Brazil international, despite their January move for Luis Diaz.
United monitoring Raphinha
It is said that Man United are monitoring the player’s situation, and could be set to launch a concrete bid for Raphinha in order to get ahead of Barcelona and Chelsea in signing the player. The club recently sold Daniel James to the Yorkshire club at the beginning of the season.
It is also claimed that Chelsea are ‘on standby’ regarding any potential move for the player. In light of the recent restrictions placed on owner Roman Abramovich and his assets, it remains to be seen if the Blues will continue with a bid for the winger in the summer.
Man United currently boast of stars upfront like Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, but neither have been consistent in their goalscoring exploits due to a mixture of poor form and injuries. In fact, both players returned from injury only last weekend against Tottenham Hotspur.
On the wings, where Raphinha plays, the club have Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Anthony Elanga alternating between the positions. Rashford has looked like a shadow of himself in recent months, while Sancho is only slowly returning to form and showing shades of his Bundesliga form.
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Elanga has been playing on the right-wing recently, but as a teenager, the player could still stand to develop and improve his game. To partner Sancho perhaps, who has made the left-wing his own, a player like Raphinha on the right-wing might help us look more balanced in the attack.
A Man United transfer for Raphinha would involve him moving to Leeds’ bitter rivals, which could affect his relationship with the Elland Road faithful. However, he has a chance to move to a bigger club playing in elite competitions, which could offer him to chance to take his game to the next level.
