Leeds United supporters were able to watch one of their former players start for Brazil at the World Cup when Raphinha lined up for his nation against Morocco on Saturday.

The Brazilian star left the Whites to sign for Barcelona for a fee of £55m back in the summer of 2022, but he was recently caught smiling at a question about former teammate Liam Cooper.

Given what he has accomplished since moving on from Elland Road, it is hard to argue against him being the biggest talent to have played for the club in recent times.

Raphinha has racked up 75 goals and 59 assists in 177 matches for Barcelona in all competitions, winning three LaLiga titles in that time, and is now a nailed-on starter for the Brazilian national team.

This all comes after he scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in 67 appearances for Leeds in his two years in West Yorkshire under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch.

Leeds pursuing deal to sign Serie A striker

Raphinha, who joined on a permanent deal from Rennes in the summer of 2020, was a joy to watch at Elland Road with his ability to score and create goals out of nothing from the right flank.

Now, the club are reportedly looking at a player who could be their biggest talent since they sold the Brazilian forward to Barcelona four years ago.

According to TuttoJuve, Leeds United are one of a number of clubs chasing a deal to sign Juventus centre-forward Lois Openda in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Whites, Eintracht Frankfurt, Monaco, and Lens are all pursuing a swoop to take the Belgium international away from the Old Lady ahead of next season.

It adds that Ligue 1 side Monaco are currently leading the race to land the former RB Leipzig star, though, so Leeds will have to move quickly if they want to strike a deal for his services.

Meanwhile, it was reported elsewhere this month that Juventus are looking for a fee of £40m to sell the striker, which would be a club-record deal for the Whites.

Why Lois Openda would be Leeds' biggest talent since Raphinha

Leeds could secure their biggest talent since Raphinha by paying a club-record fee to sign Openda, who would cost more than the £35.5m that was paid for Georginio Rutter at the start of 2023.

Firstly, he would be the most expensive player in the club's history and the most expensive signing or sale since they cashed in on Raphinha for £55m almost four years ago.

Secondly, he has the potential to be the club's biggest threat in front of goal since Raphinha left, after Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 14 goals in the Premier League this season.

Calvert-Lewin has never scored more than 16 goals in the Premier League in his career, whilst Openda scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 in the 2022/23 campaign and 24 goals in the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 season.

The Belgian star struggled at Juventus this year, but he only started six Serie A matches. He has proven himself to be a prolific scorer in France and Germany, which suggests that the Old Lady did not find a way to use him effectively.

Daniel Farke has shown that he can get the best out of strikers, as evidenced by Calvert-Lewin jumping from three league goals for Everton to 14 for Leeds, and Openda could benefit from his coaching.

If the German tactician can get the best out of the £40m-rated star, Leeds could find their first player to score 20 or more goals in a Premier League season since Mark Viduka managed it in the 2002/03 campaign.

Openda, who was described as a "blistering" forward by U23 scout Antonio Mango, would be the only player in the entire Leeds squad to have scored 20 or more goals in any of Europe's major leagues.

He would also arrive at Elland Road with more Champions League goals (six) than any of his teammates, depending on who else the club decide to sign.

Therefore, Openda could be the club's biggest talent since Raphinha because of the money involved in a potential deal and the goalscoring pedigree that he offers domestically and on the European stage.