Leeds United 'reject £29m Barcelona bid for Raphinha'

Leeds United have rejected Barcelona's opening bid of £29m for their Brazilian winger Raphinha, according to a report.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from Elland Road over the past few weeks, and the Catalan side have made the first move in the race.

However, according to Sport, the Premier League side have turned down the offer of €35m (£29m), and are instead holding out for the release clause of €75m (£62.5m) inserted into the Brazilian's four-year contract that was signed upon his arrival from Rennes in October 2020.

Raphinha has been one of the few bright sparks in a difficult season for the Yorkshire side up to this point, with his nine league goals seeing him top the club's goalscoring charts.

As a result of his displays since joining for around £15m from France two years ago, the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Bayern Munich have also been linked with an interest, although the report continues with how Raphinha is holding out for a move to Barca after instructing his agent to make the move happen.

After missing out on Brazil's squad for their World Cup qualifiers during the international break, Raphinha will be back in action for Leeds when they host Southampton on April 2.