Barcelona director of football (DoF) Mateu Alemany is set to hold talks with Leeds United over a move for Raphinha in the coming days.

The Lowdown: Raphinha could cost £60m-£70m

The Brazil winger has been heavily linked with a move to the Nou Camp in recent months. The 25-year-old has a €25m (£21.5m) relegation release clause in his Elland Road contract, something which can’t be activated this summer after the winger played a key role in helping the Whites to remain in the Premier League.

Phil Hay stated that it would take a bid in the region of £60m-£70m for Leeds to part way with their playmaker, who Illan Meslier called a ‘storm’.

The Latest: Barcelona chief bound for Leeds

Inside Futbol relayed an update from Spanish outlet Sport regarding Raphinha on Sunday morning. They claimed that Barcelona DoF Alemany is set to travel to Leeds early next week to renew discussions over a move for the Brazilian.

The report added that the Elland Road hierarchy are not happy with the Catalan club after they waited on activating Raphinha’s relegation release clause, with Alemany looking to repair the damage caused by that stance.

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The Verdict: Stand firm

The Whites are under no major pressure to sell Raphinha this summer as he enters the final two years of his contract, so it is crucial that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani stick to their lofty valuation over the coming months.

Barcelona have their own financial issues to contend with, but Leeds don’t need to do them any favours by accepting any player-plus cash offers which have been mooted.

It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out, and many Whites supporters may not have been expecting the club to be in such a positive situation last month, when it looked as if Raphinha was playing his final home game and relegation looked inevitable with Leeds trailing 1-0 to Brighton heading into stoppage time before plundering a last-gasp equaliser.

In other news - Orta on a roll: Leeds agree five-year deal with 'goal threat' in transfer which will cost £21.4m