Leeds United cannot afford to lose star man whose impact has been just as important as Raphinha

Raphinha’s departure from Leeds United became inevitable the moment he was omitted from Jesse Marsch’s Australia squad. The saga had been going on for months, but officially ended on Friday when Barcelona announced they had signed the Brazilian for around £55million.

The interest in Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips - sold to Manchester City for £42million - dominated Leeds headlines as the elite of European football circled Elland Road and prized away its two prized assets. But underneath the current of the Phillips-Raphinha tidal wave, murmurs of interest in Jack Harrison have gathered momentum.

Tottenham Hotspur were the first club to show an interest in May, but a reported £30million price tag staved off an official approach as Antonio Conte turned to Richarlison. One team seemingly willing to consider such a price is Newcastle United, with Eddie Howe a strong admirer of Harrison and keen to spend the club’s new found wealth wisely.

But Marsch cannot afford to lose the 25-year-old, whose contribution in the two seasons back in the Premier League has largely flown under the radar. He certainly cannot lose him in the same window as Raphinha.

The former Manchester City man has 16 goals since his top-flight debut against Liverpool in 2020, none of which have been penalties. With nine assists to add to that, his 25 non-penalty goal contributions over the last two seasons are equal to the £55million Brazilian (13 non-penalty goals and 12 assists) - it is also more than the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Allan Saint-Maximin.

Harrison scored Leeds’ first goal upon their return to the Premier League - jinking between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez before rifling a shot into the bottom corner - and he scored the