Leeds have turned down an offer worth £50m from West Ham for Raphinha, 90min can confirm.
The 25-year-old has been the shining light in what has been a difficult second season back in the Premier League for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, scoring eight goals and contributing two assists to help the club pull seven points clear of the relegation zone.
He’s previously been linked with a move away from Elland Road to the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich, but 90min first revealed on Friday that West Ham, riding high in fifth after a terrific campaign to date, are interested in taking Raphinha to the London Stadium.
Sources have now confirmed that a verbal offer was made for Raphinha, which would have seen the Hammers pay a base fee of £40m with an additional £10m in add-ons – an overall figure that would have been a club-record.
The offer was swiftly rejected by Leeds, who are instead looking to tie down the versatile winger to a new contract.
The Brazilian is currently locked in to the four-year deal that he signed upon his £17m arrival from Rennes. That expires in 2024 and Leeds would ideally like Raphinha to commit his future to the club long-term and reward him with a significant pay rise for his exceptional performances.
But while Raphinha is hugely respectful of Leeds and is happy at the club, 90min understands that he’s unlikely to take sign a new contract as it stands, and would be interested in a move to London if the club were to give their blessing.
He will not, however, look to engineer or force a move away from Leeds.
The rejected bid is the latest twist in what has been a frustrating January transfer window for West Ham. The Hammers are yet to make a signing, despite David Moyes’ desire to strengthen his squad with a new defender and forward, although they are in continued talks with Marseille over a double loan deal for Duje Caleta-Car and Bamba Dieng.
They are also in the mix for highly-rated Reims forward Hugo Ekitike, who could still leave the Ligue 1 club before the end of the month. Newcastle remain in contact over a possible deal and are favourites to land him, but their initial offer was rebuffed after falling below Reims’ valuation of the 19-year-old.
Michail Antonio is currently West Ham’s only senior striker, although the in-form Jarrod Bowen has also played centrally when the Jamaican has not been available.
