Barcelona leading the race to sign Brazil international

Barcelona are on the front burner in what is now the race to sign talented winger Raphinia. The Leeds United superstar has become a fan favourite at Elland Road but Raphinia also has ambitions: to play in the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup.

Bayern Munich are also in the race to land Raphinia as rumors have emerged of Germany international Serge Gnabry moving to Real Madrid this summer. The club have sent scouts to watch Raphinia on a number of occasions in the last few months. However his agent,Deco,is a chief scout at Barcelona and Raphinia is admired by Xavi Hernandez.

Raphinia became an exciting prospect since Leeds gained promotion to the Premier League. The 25-year-old is known to be a menace to full-backs in the Premier League.

Manchester United is also monitoring Raphinia and could be poised to enter the race. Real Madrid are not interested in the 25-year-old as they are looking to bolster their defence. The main issue with signing Raphinia is his release clause comes in two forms: Should Leeds United remain in the Premier League,any club interested in him will have to pay £75m. However if Leeds United are relegated to the Championship,the release clause falls drastically to £25m.

Most interested clubs are waiting for the season to come to an end before they enter negotiations with Leeds United. Manchester United are not desperate to sign Raphinia unless one of their wingers leave in the summer.