Leeds star Raphinha slams Rennes & claims they didn't tell him they were selling him

Leeds United winger Raphinha has opened up on his move from Rennes during the off-season, admitting that he was disappointed by the Ligue 1 club's decision to sell him to the Premier League outfit without his prior knowledge.

The Brazilian, who had only joined Rennes ahead of the 2019-20 campaign from Portuguese side Sporting CP, played a major part in helping to guide the club to a top-three finish and Champions League football for the first time in their history.

Yet, despite eight goals and seven assists in his maiden campaign, the 23-year-old was sold to Leeds for a reported fee of £17 million ($22m) in early October, and for what was reported to be less than he was originally bought for.

Speaking out on his switch to Elland Road - where he has gradually established himself as a core member of Marcelo Bielsa's newly-promoted Whites squad - Raphinha has acknowledged that he had little forewarning of the move.

"I learned on the Saturday [October 3, two days before his move], when I joined the rest of the squad for training, that Rennes had accepted an offer for me," Raphinha, who signed a four-year contract, told ESPN Brazil.

"I was a little surprised, because I was just finishing my debut season in France. We had started the season well in the league and I was already thinking of playing my first Champions League."

Raphinha acknowledged that the saga - though quickly resolved and executed - left him with a bitter taste, after Rennes moved to quickly replace him with Jeremy Doku, with the winger adding that he had been previously told he would only be sold for a high price tag.

"They told me that they would not want to sell me for less than €60m (£55m/$73m)," he noted. "Knowing that the club accepted the offer, no more and no less, without telling me, I felt devalued.

"The offer was less than what they had spent to recruit me. It made it clear to me that I was not part of the plans of the club and the coach. They just decided to sell me."