Leeds United winger Raphinha is ‘very close’ to joining Arsenal, according to Barcelona journalist Adria Soldevila.

The Lowdown: Barcelona out of the running?

Raphinha has been heavily linked with an Elland Road exit in recent months after starring for the Whites last season. The Brazilian is a wanted man at Barcelona, who have already agreed on personal terms for the winger.

However, the Catalan giants find themselves in a financial crisis and don’t appear to be in the position to match Leeds’ valuation, which reportedly stands at a minimum of €50m.

The Latest: Arsenal move ‘very close’

Soldevila, a reporter for various outlets in Catalonia took to Twitter on Monday morning and provided three points on Raphinha’s future.

The first was that the 25-year-old is ‘very close to Arsenal’, the second being that ‘Leeds United sources admit that they know nothing about Barca and that the player does not want to wait’, with the third and final point adding that a move to the Emirates could be finalised ‘this week’.

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The Verdict: Interesting

It looks as if it is extremely likely that Raphinha will be plying his trade in the Premier League next season, but not at Elland Road.

The Whites will want a big fee for their star winger, and with Chelsea and Tottenham also keen, they may be holding out for a bidding war.

However, it appears as if a move to join two fellow Brazilians at Arsenal is on the cards, and it will be interesting to see how he would fit in, especially as Mikel Arteta already has Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe as right-wing options.

In other news: Orta now working on signing 31-goal striker for free; famous Leeds fan may help Elland Road move.