Barcelona 'lodge final £46.6m bid for Leeds United's Raphinha'

The Catalan giants have long been linked with a summer swoop for the Whites forward, who is widely expected to head for the Elland Road exit door in the coming weeks.

Despite reported interest from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - with the Blues allegedly agreeing a fee close to £60m with Leeds - Raphinha has his heart set on a move to Camp Nou.

The 25-year-old is understood to have already agreed terms in principle over a five-year deal, but La Blaugrana's long-running financial problems are still hindering their chances of a transfer going through.

Leeds have supposedly now issued Barcelona with a transfer ultimatum, and Xavi's side under pressure to meet the Whites' asking price as the club aim to finalise his exit as soon as possible.

According to Sport, Barcelona have now tabled their last bid of €55m (£46.6m) for the Brazil international, which is 'significantly' lower than what Chelsea are prepared to offer.

However, La Blaugrana are still hopeful that Raphinha's desire to come to Barcelona will swing the pendulum in their favour, with the attacker's agent Deco allegedly being instructed to block offers from Chelsea.

Spots have opened up in Xavi's attack following the exits of Adama Traore and Ousmane Dembele, although the latter could still elect to pen a new deal with the Camp Nou powerhouses.

Meanwhile, Leeds have already prepared for the possibility of Raphinha's exit, bringing in Colombian attacker Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord for a £21m fee to add to their major summer rebuild.

Whites boss Jesse Marsch recently acknowledged the situation surrounding Raphinha's future and suggested that the attacker's next career move could be confirmed within a number of days.

"It hasn't been an easy time for [Raphinha] this summer, things have come and gone and there's been a lot of little discussions," Marsch told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"Right now he's our player, he showed up today and trained with everybody. He had such a good attitude. We had a very open and honest conversation about while he's here he's part of us and we'll see what happens.

"There's still a long way to go in the transfer window, I know he has hopes and dreams and we'll see how everything goes. I said to him, I know he loves this team, this club and being here but we'll see how things progress day by day.

"I think we just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of days. There's urgency from his end I think to come up with a solution and then we have to see where things stand and then make that decision."

Raphinha played a vital role in helping Leeds stave off relegation to the Championship last season, registering 11 goals and three assists in 35 Premier League appearances for the Whites.

The Brazil international now boasts a total of 17 goals and 12 assists in 67 appearances for the Elland Road outfit in all tournaments and remains under contract until the summer of 2024.