Raphinha wants ‘urgent solution’ over his Leeds future, reveals Jesse Marsch – who admits he’s unsure if wantaway £60m-rated Barcelona and Chelsea target will travel on pre-season Australia tour
- Leeds are due to play two pre-season games in Australia on July 14 and July 17
- However, they could be without Raphinha who wants a quick answer to his future
- Barcelona and Chelsea are both vying for Brazilian – who wants to join the former
Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has conceded that talisman Raphinha is pushing for a quick resolution to his transfer saga – which could see him omitted from their pre-season tour of Australia.
Leeds’ preparation for the new campaign has been disrupted by Raphinha’s situation – with Barcelona and Chelsea both battling to sign the wantaway winger this summer.
As detailed by Sportsmail, the Brazilian has attracted a lot of attention following his fruitful two-year spell at Elland Road, scoring a crucial goal in Leeds’ 2-1 victory against Brentford on the final day of last season to secure Premier League survival.
Leeds United could be without wantaway winger Raphinha for their Australia pre-season tour
Barcelona and Chelsea have each hotly pursued the 25-year-old, with the latter having seen a £60million bid accepted from the Yorkshire club.
However, Raphinha has made clear his preference to sign for the Spanish giants and will reportedly hold out for a move to the Nou Camp, having already rebuffed interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.
Leeds’ No 10 didn’t play in Thursday’s pre-season 4-0 win over Blackpool and speaking post-match Marsch admitted that he could be absent for their upcoming tour Down Under too.
‘My guess is, I don’t know. We just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of days,’ Marsch said.
‘There’s urgency from his end, I think, to come up with a solution. We have to in the next couple of days see how things stand and see how we go.
The 25-year-old is heavily linked with a move to Chelsea but would prefer a Barcelona switch
‘It hasn’t been an easy time for him this summer. Things have come and gone and there have been a lot of little discussions. Right now he’s our player.
‘He showed up today and trained with everybody, he had such a good attitude. We had a very open…