"Been told": Phil Hay drops huge Leeds transfer claim, it's great news for the Whites - opinion

Phil Hay has dropped a promising claim concerning Raphinha’s links with a move away from Leeds United in the summer transfer window.

In a recent Q&A on The Athletic, Hay revealed that, despite reports suggesting that the Brazilian has a release clause in his current contract at Elland Road, this is in fact not the case – with the only clause in the winger’s deal relating to relegation – before the journalist also went on to claim that, at present, Barcelona are yet to submit any offers for the 25-year-old.

In his article, the journalist said: “What we can say at this stage is that [Barcelona] have not submitted any offers to Leeds.

“You’ll have read in various places about a release clause in Raphinha’s current deal. I’ve asked about this several times and been told consistently the only release clause in the contract relates to relegation (and in that scenario, it goes without saying that he would be leaving the club anyway).”

Considering just how important a part of the Leeds United side Raphinha has become since his £17m move to Elland Road back in October of 2020, the news that there is no release clause – aside from the one relating to relegation – in the forward’s deal is undoubtedly great news for everyone involved with the Whites.

Indeed, over his 27 Premier League appearances this season, the £36m-rated dynamo has been one of Leeds’ standout performers, scoring nine goals, registering three assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 2.1 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £63k-per-week winger average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as the Whites’ second-best performing outfielder this term.

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