Merson claims Leeds star will ‘leave regardless of what happens’

Paul Merson believes Barcelona-linked Raphinha will leave Leeds United this summer even if they do enough to stay in the Premier League.

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The 25-year-old signed for Leeds ahead of their return to the Premier League in 2020. They paid around £17m to bring him in from Rennes.

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The Brazilian has been an asset to Leeds over the past two seasons. He has grabbed 15 goals and twelve assists from his 59 outings.

The midfielder’s contract expires in 2024. In recent days he has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. 

Merson thinks Raphinha is “capable of playing for the big boys”:

“Raphinha is a player who has generated a lot of transfer talk in recent weeks, with Barcelona reportedly interested in snapping him up this summer,” Merson told Sportskeeda.

“I think he’ll leave Leeds regardless of what happens – he’s capable of playing for any of the big boys in the Premier League.

“Real Madrid and Barcelona still have the charm when it comes to foreign players – when either of the two clubs come for a player, they inevitably end up getting them.”

Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch says he is determined to get the best out of Raphinha:

“He is a massive talent and my challenge, despite all of the talk