Barcelona look to use strong relationship with former player to sign Leeds star this summer

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Most top players make enough in their career to ensure they don’t need to work, but a few will become agents and those past relationships can come in handy.

Deco had an established career at the top level with Porto, Barcelona, and Chelsea, but a report from Sky Sports has indicated that Barca could be looking to use that contact to their advantage this summer.

The former Portugal star is now an agent who acts for Leeds United star Raphinha, and it’s hoped that the links with Barca could help to persuade the winger to choose a move to the Nou Camp over interest from several Premier League clubs at the end of the season.

Leeds are still in a relegation battle but should have enough to propel themselves to safety, while it’s confirmed that the Brazilian’s contract does run until 2024 and there’s no sign of a release clause so a hefty fee could be required.

Obviously, that could change if Leeds did go down as that would leave him open to moving on for a reduced price, but the report also states that his arrival would be to play alongside Ousmane Dembele rather than acting as a direct replacement for the Frenchman who could still leave if a new contract can’t be agreed.

Raphinha appears to have reached a stage where he should be looking to further his career with a move this summer and it does make sense to push for an exit if the interest is there, but it will be interesting to see where he actually goes and what kind of fee he could fetch.

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