Club president makes Leeds United contract claim Arsenal must be prepared to overcome - YEP 24/6/22
French side Stade Rennais could be in line to receive a cash windfall this summer if Leeds United sell Raphinha for a sizeable fee
By Joe Donnohue
Arsenal and Barcelona are among the clubs strongly linked
with a move for Leeds talisman Raphinha.
However, the pair may be required to pay in excess of what
they deem an appropriate fee due to a sell-on clause included in Raphinha's
contract according to Rennes executive director Olivier Cloarec.
"Yes, there are bonuses that continue throughout their
contract and, possibly, if there are transfers from the current club to other
clubs."
"Yes, it is in the millions,” he said to TVR, when
pressed on the value of the sell-on clauses, as quoted by FootMercato.
Cloarec also referenced former Rennes midfielder Eduardo
Camavinga's move to Real Madrid, but the decision to list Raphinha's Leeds
switch alongside the €40m Madrid transfer suggests the add-ons owed to the
French club could be significant.
For that reason, Leeds are more likely to drive a harder
bargain in the transfer market this summer, aiming to recoup as much as they
can from any prospective Raphinha sale before fulfilling their obligation to
the Ligue 1 outfit.
Raphinha is valued at over £50 million by Leeds, while
reports in Spain claim Barcelona are only willing to pay between €40m and €45m
for the Brazil international's services.
To date, Arsenal are the only club to have tested United's
resolve by lodging a bid earlier this week.
Elland Road chiefs swiftly rejected the Gunners' speculative
approach, deeming their offer too low to even consider.
That said, Arsenal are expected to return with an improved
offer given the north London club are on the offensive in the transfer market.
They have already committed to around £40 million in
transfer expenditure this summer with the arrival of Fabio Vieira and Matt
Turner, meanwhile Mikel Arteta's side also remain front-runners for Manchester
City forward Gabriel Jesus, who is likely to be usurped at the Etihad Stadium
by new addition Erling Haaland.
The exact percentage of Raphinha's sell-on clause has not
been disclosed but considering the price Leeds are likely to deem suitable,
Rennes are expected to receive millions.
There is also the matter of a small solidarity payment
reportedly owed to Raphinha's first club Avai in his native Brazil, which is
common in international transfers as a form of compensation for having
initially trained the player.
This fee was initially reported by Brazilian sources six
months ago when it was incorrectly claimed Raphinha had agreed a deal with
Bayern Munich.
