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Arsenal figure breaks his silence on failed pursuit of Leeds United player

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Arsenal Technical Director, Edu, has opened up on the club’s interest in signing Raphinha from Leeds United.

Leeds eventually agreed a deal for Raphinha to join Barcelona earlier this month, believed to be worth around £55m.

However, there were other interested parties in the Leeds ace, including Arsenal, who The Athletic report had a bid turned down earlier in the summer.

In an interview with Sky Sports (posted onto Twitter), Edu outlined the conversations that he had with Raphinha’s agent, Deco, in the build up to the 25-year-old’s move to Barcelona.

“We did have some conversations with his [Raphinha’s] agent because we have a good relationship; we are friends. I asked Deco if he could explain Raphinha’s situation to me, and he was clear.

“He said he would not lie to me and that Raphinha’s idea was always to go to Barcelona because that is his dream, and they had spoken to Barcelona for a long time before us. If that wasn’t the case, we might’ve explored and tried to understand the situation; if not, then no problem.”

Raphinha scored 11 goals and registered three assists for Leeds last season in the Premier League, keeping them in the division.

Since moving to Barcelona, he’s scored two in two over the course of pre-season.

Quiz: 15 questions all about Raphinha’s time at Leeds United – Can you score 100%?

1 of 15

In which month did Leeds United officially sign Raphinha?

It was no secret that Raphinha wanted Barcelona and Leeds were willing to deal with the Spanish giants to give their player his wish.

That’s despite Chelsea’s interest in the player as well, with things wrapped up within the last two weeks.

From Edu’s comments, it’s not quite clear how strong Arsenal’s enquiry (or bid) was. There were conversations, but the type of conversation that you imagine most clubs have with various agents.

Ultimately, he’s not moved to Arsenal and now they will have to manage the regret of not landing the Brazilian’s signature, which will be particularly intense following his start to life with Barcelona.

Is Sinisterra replacing Raphinha a good move?

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Leeds United Season Ticket Holder at Elland Road for over 20 seasons. Currently nestled in N12, but occasionally offering views from the press box. We’ve been through it all together? You bet.