Here are your Leeds United morning headlines for Saturday, July 16.
Arsenal Raphinha bid
Arsenal’s opening offer for Raphinha - the first official bid made by any club for the Brazilian - was just £35million, according to the Athletic. The Gunners briefly took pole position in the race to sign the 25-year-old in last month, coming in with a surprise offer on June 21.
The value of the bid was unknown at the time but the Whites swiftly turned it down before accepting bids firstly from Chelsea and then from the eventual winner, Barcelona, for around £55million.
And it has now been reported that Arsenal went as low as £35million in an offer that ‘bemused’ those in charge at Elland Road.
READ MORE: Leeds United transfer news LIVE: Raphinha's move to Barcelona, De Ketelaere and Kalimuendo latest
“On the evening of June 21, Arsenal emailed an opening offer worth £35million ($41.9m).” the report said. “It fell well below the asking price and Leeds, bemused by such a valuation, rejected it the following day. Arsenal reassured Leeds they would return with another bid and a meeting was scheduled for June 28.”
Chelsea had a £60million offer accepted by that date and could offer Champions League football, forcing Mikel Arteta to back down and look elsewhere.
Left-back
The left-back problem at Leeds United has once again reared it’s head, with Junior Firpo out for eight weeks following his knock against Blackpool. Leif Davis is the only specialist in Australia, and Jack Harrison’s uncomfortable performance there on Thursday reignited the ‘square peg in round hole’ concerns.
A move to bring in a new left-back has now become a priority, alongside a new striker, for Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta, as they look to strengthen a notoriously vulnerable position at Elland Road.
There have been links throughout the summer and a few recent murmurs, so LeedsLive had a look back at four potential options - which you can see right here .
Marsch on Gyabi
Darko Gyabi caught the eye of many during Thursday’s 2-1 win against Brisbane Roar - not least Jesse Marsch, who spoke of his excitement at having the 18-year-old at the club and praised his mentality. The midfielder came on for the second-half of the win and produced the most promising display of the new signings with his composure.
The former Manchester City man joins a core group of hugely talented young players at the club now, and Whites boss Marsch admitted he was ‘excited’ about Gyabi’s arrival and his presence alongside his young teammates.
“We were excited from the start about the possibility of adding him to the group and now watching him live and seeing his mentality to improve, even more so,” Marsch said when asked about Gyabi. “I would say with him, with Archie Gray, with Cree Summerville, with Sam Greenwood and with Joffy Gelhardt, we have a core of really young talented players that we think can be a big part of the future.”
You can see Marsch’s full quotes here .
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