When Leeds United sold Raphinha to Barcelona, Jesse Marsch was powerless to stop his departure. The Brazilian had two years left on his deal, and Raphinha was pursuing a dream.

While there was some debate over the fee, Raphinha joined Barcelona for an initial £50m and £5m more in add-ons. Those add-ons are likely to have been achieved given Raphinha’s success at Barcelona.

The Brazil star is now captain, winning La Liga three times and clocking up a huge 152 goal involvements in 188 Barcelona games. It is fair to say Barcelona got a bargain with Raphinha, and now they are back.

Barcelona want Tarik Muharemovic, but this time it’s different

According to TeamTalk, Barcelona are but one of many big-hitters considering a move to sign Leeds defender Muharemovic. Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Inter Milan are also keen.

But of those sides, Barcelona will surely tempt Muharemovic more. The chance to follow Bosnia icon Miralem Pjanic and become only the second player this century to play for Barca will be tempting.

Not only that, but Raphinha’s contract had just two years left to run when Barcelona pounced in 2022. As things stand, Muharemovic’s Elland Road contract has the best part of five years left, until June 2031.

Leeds United’s current price tag is a massive £60m

Leeds want £60m for Muharemovic as things stand. But that’s just a few months after signing him for £34m from Sassuolo. It has taken 10 Leeds appearances for Muharemovic to almost double his fee.

Why is he rated at £60m already? Well, Muharemovic has quickly ranked himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League this season, despite the change in country and moving clubs.

Leeds have the power this time, unlike the Raphinha situation, where the club needed to sell because of the Brazilian’s contract and the need to bring in an influx of cash to freshen up the squad under Marsch.

By the time Barcelona make their move, there is every chance Leeds could request a figure north of the £60m mark. Especially because there is a dearth of left-footed centre-backs operating at this level.

In Europe’s top-five leagues, less than 40% of clubs start games without a left-footed centre-back. More often than not, right-footed centre-backs are seen operating on the left half of a centre-back pairing.

Liverpool, for example, have Virgil van Dijk – perhaps explaining their interest in Muharemovic. Ultimately, Leeds can request the fee they want for Muharemovic and are not dictated by his contract or Barcelona.