Liverpool could reportedly still be linked with Leeds United winger Raphinha in the summer transfer window despite just signing Luis Diaz in that position in January.
That’s according to The Athletic, who analyse Raphinha’s suitability for Liverpool and other clubs, whilst also claiming that the Reds’ move for Diaz shows they are wasting no time in trying to bring in long-term replacements for their ageing front three.
Diaz looks a fine addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad, but with Mohamed Salah also approaching the final year of his contract, there could still be a role for Raphinha at Anfield in the near future.
The Brazil international has been hugely impressive in his time at Elland Road, and The Athletic add that Leeds are expecting strong interest in him and a few of their other star players in the summer.
Liverpool tend to sign players of Raphinha’s profile – approaching their peak years and perhaps looking to move up to a bigger club, which was certainly the case for the likes of Salah when he joined from Roma, or Sadio Mane when he joined from Southampton.
One imagines there’ll be other top clubs chasing Raphinha in the near future, with The Athletic also mentioning interest from Bayern Munich, whilst also suggesting that the likes of Manchester City or Juventus could be a good fit for the 25-year-old.
Former LFC midfielder Michael Thomas has previously spoken to CaughtOffside about the prospect of Raphinha replacing Salah, saying: “Replacing Salah isn’t a question. Liverpool need to keep hold of their best players and he is the best.
“Raphinha is a really intelligent player with Premier League experience, so adding him to the squad would of course be beneficial, but hopefully the Salah situation gets sorted sooner rather than later.”