Fabrizio Romano: Tottenham Hotspur in new direct contact with Leeds United for Arsenal and Chelsea target Raphinha
According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Tottenham Hotspur have made new direct contact with Leeds United to facilitate a move for Raphinha in the summer transfer window. He has attracted a host of attention from major European sides after playing an integral role in helping his side to remain in the Premier League.
Leeds are willing to part ways with the Brazilian international if their valuation is met by any of the interested parties. They are adamant that a minimum of £65million must be paid if suitors are looking to prise away Raphinha from them ahead of the next season.
Tottenham have been made aware of the asking price after holding a new meeting with the Whites to discuss the possibility of a transfer. The former are not alone in this pursuit, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona all vying to get their hands on the 25-year-old this summer.
Too expensive?
There is no doubt that the South American is among the best in his position in the Premier League. Raphinha has been on the rise over the past few years and has arguably been carrying his side’s frontline during that period.
One would expect the PL ace to do better in a better system similar to what he has done for the Brazil national team. Despite that, the current valuation certainly makes him quite unattractive, especially when our priorities lie elsewhere at this moment.
Romano himself revealed last week that Antonio Conte’s side has prioritised the addition of a right-back and a central defender this summer. As such, spending such a huge sum on Raphinha may not be wise when we have other targets to sign ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Signing Raphinha would certainly help to instil healthy competition, quality and depth into the wings, which could be beneficial for us. After all, two of our players, Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura, have been linked with a potential exit from N17 this summer.
Perhaps, Fabio Paratici should look to reassess Spurs’ transfer plans as they could lose out on someone who may prove to be necessary for the future. Barca and our two London rivals are also alerted about the valuation, so we must remain on our toes at all times to prevent getting piped in this race.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
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The Gunners have already made an offer for Raphinha, but Jesse Marsch’s side has turned down that proposal. We have supposedly told Leeds about our desire to table a bid for him, so it will be interesting to see how this situation turns out with the Catalans having already reached a personal agreement with the winger.
