Leeds close in on Raphinha transfer as winger lands in England ahead of £21m move on five-year deal

LEEDS have moved closer to signing Rennes winger Raphinha on a five-year deal, with the Brazilian landing in England.

The forward, 23, has touched down in the UK as he prepares to finalise his move to the Premier League side.

Leeds have agreed to a fee with Rennes, worth £17m up front, with a further £4m in add-ons, according to talkSPORT and The Athletic.

Marcelo Bielsa's side – who played out a thrilling 1-1 draw with Man City at the weekend – were originally believed to have bid just £15.5m.

But that was bumped up to the £21m mark with the addition of add-ons.

Raphinha scored five goals and registered three assists in 22 appearances in the French top flight last season.

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And the former Sporting star has hit the ground running this season too.

He scored in the 2-2 draw with Reims on Sunday – while adding two assists already this season – for the unbeaten Ligue 1 table-toppers.

Leeds had hoped to sign Dan James from Manchester United to add some depth to their winger ranks.

But with United failing to sign anyone at right-wing – including Jadon Sancho, Ousmane Dembele, Federico Chiesa and Douglas Costa – they couldn't afford to let the Welshman leave.

That forced Leeds to look elsewhere, with Bielsa raiding Rennes – who have already lost Edouard Mendy to Chelsea this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds are likely to keep looking for another central midfielder on deadline day.

The Elland Road giants appeared to have an £18m deal for Bayern Munich star Michael Cuisance sewn up.

Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge even said his goodbyes to the Frenchman on Instagram, only for the deal to collapse at the last second.

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