Arsenal submit bid for Raphinha who would prefer Barcelona or Chelsea instead — report

Raphinha is the one of more intriguing names in this summer’s transfer market, and while Leeds United are unlikely to let their top scorer and best player go easily or cheaply (but not unfairly or obstructively) with two years left on his contract, it’s far from certain that he will see out even one of those two years remaining.

The 25-year-old has been strongly linked with Barcelona and tenuously linked with Chelsea as well — among many others, I’m sure — but it’s Arsenal who have made the first move, submitting a “formal offer” yesterday, according to The Athletic. It’s unclear how much the bid was, but it was apparently “well below” what Leeds might have wanted, and so it’s “expected to be rejected out of hand”. Typical Arsenal, that, though I’m sure they’ll come back with another bid of at least £1 more.

In the meantime, the Athletic add that Raphinha would much rather prefer Barcelona or Chelsea over the Gunners, so perhaps we can try to bark up this tree instead of the one with Raheem Sterling or Richarlison in it?