Leeds director of football Victor Orta has emerged as a top target for Roma
Monday 5 October 2020 23:06, UK
Leeds have signed winger Raphinha from Rennes on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old Brazilian impressed last season in Ligue 1, scoring five goals and registering three assists in 22 appearances, as he helped Rennes secure Champions League football.
The French side paid a reported £20.7m to Sporting Lisbon in September 2019 for the forward, after he had spent the previous two seasons in Portugal with Vitoria Guimaraes.
He will wear the number 18 shirt at Leeds and could make his debut when the Whites take on Wolves on Monday October 19.
Raphinha had been attracting interest from elsewhere before Leeds completed the signing - which completes a busy transfer window for the Premier League new boys.
Leeds have signed Valencia forward Rodrigo Moreno, Real Sociedad defender Diego Llorente, Freiburg defender Robin Koch, Lorient goalkeeper Illan Meslier and Wigan forward Joe Gelhardt since achieving promotion to the Premier League.
They have also added Helder Costa from Wolves on a permanent deal following his loan spell last year, and re-signed Jack Harrison on another loan deal from Manchester City.
Leeds' Victor Orta has emerged as a top target for Roma as they look to appoint a new director of football, according to reports in Italy.
Orta has become a key figure at Elland Road after leading several successful recruitment drives in his role as director of football.
He was also instrumental in the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as the club's head coach in 2018.
Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Orta tops a shortlist of three for the position at Roma, with Lille's Luis Campos and former RB Leipzig head coach Ralf Rangnick also being considered.
Orta, who began his career at Sevilla, joined Leeds in 2017 after a spell at Middlesbrough, and was also linked with RB Leipzig earlier in the year.
