Chelsea have reportedly stolen a march on Liverpool in the race for Leeds United attacker Raphinha.
The former Rennes man scored his ninth Premier League goal of the season in Sunday's defeat to Manchester United and continues to be linked with a move to a Champions League-competing club.
Raphinha remains under contract at Elland Road until 2024, though, and Leeds are reportedly planning to block any exit for the 25-year-old until after the 2022 World Cup.
Liverpool have been one of the sides most strongly linked with a move for Raphinha, but FootballTransfers claims that Chelsea are now at the head of the queue for the attacker's services.
The report adds that the European champions have already made contact with Raphinha's representatives, and a fee of €25m (£20.9m) could be enough if Leeds drop down to the Championship.
Raphinha is thought to be open to a move to Stamford Bridge, although he recently played down talk of an exit from Leeds, where he has 15 goals and 11 assists to his name from 54 matches.
Ben Knapton
