Barcelona star has admitted that he came close to signing for Manchester United from Leeds United before his move to the Camp Nou.
Raphinha departed Barcelona in the summer of 2022 as Leeds United remained in the Premier League following a final-day victory over Brentford.
Burnley lost to Newcastle United which relegated the Lancashire side and kept up the Yorkshire side in the process.
Raphinha decided to depart Elland Road and was linked with a whole host of top clubs including Barcelona, Arsenal, and Chelsea but ultimately the Brazilian decided on a move to Spain.
United were tentatively linked with a move for the Brazilian a few weeks back with Jadon Sancho moving the other way but nothing came of these rumours, with the Englishman rejoining Dortmund last week.
Raphinha on United interest
Appearing on Sport’s website, the Brazilian was asked who he came closest to signing for from Leeds, and without a moment’s hesitation, the winger named United as that team.
Due to the video being a quickfire type of interview, the Brazilian never went into detail about why the move broke down but you would suspect it has something to do with his desire to play in Spain and also his wish to not upset the Leeds faithful by moving to their greatest rivals.
The Athletic claimed back in 2022 that United were interested but the complications of moving from Leeds to Old Trafford meant the move was dead in the water before it really got going.
Had things been different and United had brought in Raphinha, you wonder what would have happened regarding the deal to sign Ajax winger Antony for £86 million.
United face similar problem with Archie Gray
In recent days one of the players who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford is English midfielder Archie Gray, who has performed well in the Championship this season.
The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the talented youngster, before he signed a new contract this week.
However, due to the rivalry that exists between the two sides, any deal always looked likely to be stopped in its tracks.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/p70yu9U