Arsenal are also keen on Brazil forward Raphinha; the Gunners' opening bid did not meet Leeds' valuation of the player, who has two years left on his contract and is not expected to sign a new deal at Elland Road
Wednesday 29 June 2022 07:50, UK
Chelsea are in talks with Leeds over a deal for Raphinha, with the Blues prepared to pay in excess of £50m to get the deal done.
Chelsea's bid has at this point trumped Arsenal, who had an opening bid rejected but are expected to go back in with an improved offer. Chelsea are also in for Raheem Sterling with Manchester City expecting to field a bid for the England international after Thomas Tuchel engaged Sterling over how he would fit in at Stamford Bridge.
Barcelona are also understood to want to sign Raphinha, whose agent is the former Barca player Deco.
Raphinha has been Leeds' outstanding attacking player since joining two seasons ago, scoring 17 Premier League goals.
Chelsea are confident they can sign Manchester City forward Sterling this summer, as long as a fee can be agreed with the Premier League champions for the player.
Tuchel is a big admirer of Sterling, with the Blues boss believing the forward is better suited to Chelsea's style of play than Romelu Lukaku, who is set to go out on loan back to former club Inter Milan.
However, City are understood to value Sterling at up to £60m, even though the player only has one year left on his contract at the Etihad.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 10 and closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
