Leeds target Arthur Cabral reacts to Raphinha display at Chelsea

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Raphinha has been lauded by reported Leeds United transfer target Arthur Cabral on Instagram following the winger’s performance for the Whites in their defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.

Raphinha was certainly a central figure in a dramatic 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge. He opened the scoring from the penalty spot following another outrageous run-up from the Brazilian.

Unfortunately, he then gave away a spot-kick with a sliding challenge on Antonio Rudiger during the second-half. It was a clumsy attempt to win the ball from the 25-year-old.

He did make contact with the ball. However, he was somewhat out of control and caught Rudiger at a similar time.

It was a cruel result for Leeds, who had been superb for the large majority of the game. Of course, they were without the likes of Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford for the trip to the capital. They were also missing Rodrigo and Pascal Struijk.

But there were definitely a number of positives that Leeds can take from the contest. The likes of Junior Firpo, Adam Forshaw and Tyler Roberts all proved a point with another impressive showing.

Meanwhile, Raphinha continues to boast an outstanding record this season. His penalty against Chelsea was his seventh goal in 14 Premier League games this season. He has already eclipsed his tally from the entirety of the last campaign in England’s top flight.

Leeds United transfer target Arthur Cabral lauds Raphinha on Instagram

The wide-man took to Instagram to laud the fans for their support. He also insisted that Leeds deserved a better result and will make sure to use that frustration against Manchester City on Tuesday.

And interestingly, Cabral was amongst those to reply, labelling Raphinha ‘Craque’. The term is commonly used in Brazil to describe a star player or the best…

The Brazilian pair have not previously been teammates for club or country. But perhaps that could change in the future, should Leeds get their way.

Recent reports from ESPN Brasil claimed that the Whites are one of the sides keen on signing Cabral, who has 14 goals in 15 games for Basel this season. More recently, it was reported that he could cost just £12 million amid interest from Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham.

Leeds are apparently desperate for a striker in January. So Cabral’s low asking price must make him a tempting option.

And perhaps the opportunity to play alongside Raphinha may make an Elland Road switch a little more appealing to the forward.