By Wayne Veysey

6th Feb, 2021 | 8:30am

Sources: Liverpool set sights on Leeds player who's ‘blown away’ their scouts

Liverpool are keeping tabs on Raphinha following his starring role at Leeds United this season, Football Insider has learned.

The Premier League leaders are assessing potential attacking options for next season going into the main summer window.

A Liverpool source has told Football Insider that their scouts are on the trail of Raphinha on the back of his increasingly impressive impact at Elland Road.

Talent spotters have been “blown away” by his development under Marcelo Bielsa’s guidance since he signed for £17million plus add-ons from Rennes last summer.

The Yorkshire giants have made left footed Raphinha, 24, a mainstay of their team on the right side of the attack.

He scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season in the midweek 2-1 defeat to Everton and has also supplied four assists in the competition from 16 matches, which have included 13 starts.

Liverpool are unlikely to be the only leading Premier League club alerted to the displays of Raphinha.

His electrifying pace, dribbling and ability to take defenders on and provide cutting edge in tight spaces is winning growing admirers.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, who covers all the club’s matches as a pundit, delivered a glowing assessment on Raphinha to Football Insider: “He’s incredible, he really is – I mean we weren’t sure what we were getting when we bought him, we’d seen clips on YouTube etcetera but didn’t know a great deal about him.

“At £17million, I think you can probably double that now with the way he’s come in and made an impact on the team and the way he’s going about his business.

“He’s bought into everything that Marcelo Bielsa wants in a player, which is not just that flair on the field but that hard work and ethic that he brings as well, with the amount of trackbacks we’ve seen.” 

In other Leeds United news, Whelan drops ‘Incredible’ £34m Raphinha transfer claim.