Leeds United winger Raphinha has been subject to interest from Liverpool, but Rio Ferdinand believes it’s not his best option.
As Leeds look to fight off relegation, the performances of Brazilian winger Raphinha are a big factor in how they fare.
His five goals so far this season have helped Leeds pick up points and have obviously caught the eyes of plenty of teams across Europe.
Leeds fans won’t have appreciated Raphinha’s agent, Deco, coming out recently and openly state Liverpool’s interest while hinting a departure from Elland Road could be on the cards soon.
It’s added fuel to a fire that was already present in the meantime, but it’s a signing that wouldn’t be perfect match made in heaven.
Raphinha is one of the best right-wingers in the Premier League, but the very best is at Anfield in Mohamed Salah, and anyone who joins to compete for his place is going to have a hard time budging him.
That’s the view of Rio Ferdinand, who has reacted to claims of Liverpool’s interest at a price tag of £60million.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Leeds defender had this to say:
“The only problem I think with something like Raphinha going to Liverpool is just where he’s going to play? He’s not going to start.
“So, £60 million not to start is a big, big fee. And for him as a player, I’m sure he’ll have more options. It’s a great club, don’t get me wrong, going to be fighting on all fronts to win things.
“That question won’t be answered in a positive way for him: will I start a lot of games? If Salah stays and signs a new contract, it puts a dampener on his ability to play.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if they did look to sign Raphinha, but it would come at a hefty cost that I’m unsure Liverpool would want to pay.
Ferdinand is right in that Raphinha wouldn’t be playing every game at Liverpool, unless Jurgen Klopp managed to play him in a different position.
What this does show is that there will be plenty of teams after him who will have a slot for him.
There can’t be many right-wingers doing better than him right now.