After securing their return to the Premier League, Leeds United have not wasted any time bolstering Marcelo Bielsa’s squad this summer.
Big money has already been spent to bring the likes of Robin Koch and Rodrigo to the club, and by all accounts, the spending is not likely to stop any time soon.
One player they’ve been linked with is Rodrigo De Paul, with it believed Bielsa is a big fan of his compatriot and keen to get him into Leeds midfield.
Reports from England this week indicated that a move could happen, with one even claiming that he could end up at Elland Road as soon as Monday.
However, that has been dismissed in Italy, with Gazzetta Dello Sport reporting that the Serie A side are yet to receive a ‘concrete’ offer for their star man.
Their stance is very much that a move is nowhere near as close as it has been presented and that stance is very much a sentiment shared elsewhere.
That’s backed up by Il Gazzetino, who don’t mention Leeds specifically but say there are ‘successive attempts peeping out’ of the Premier League for De Paul.
Udinese, though, are holding their ground and want to ‘maintain their position in a decisive manner’, which is a fancy way of saying they’re not going to move too far away from their asking price.
That’s backed up by Il Messaggero Veneto somewhat, who say that while De Paul wants to leave there is ‘no news’ and he knows it will only happen if the Pozzo’s €35m demands are met.
That’s also the opposite of what’s being said in England, where it had been claimed that Udinese might be lowering their asking price.
Indeed, the tone from Italy is very much that he could end up staying and the Leeds move may not happen, something the Italian side’s director Pierpaolo Marino would not be surprised by.
“As far as De Paul is concerned, the player is in love with Udine and Udinese,” he told Il Gazzetino.
“So if the opportunity of life does not arrive and also the right valuation for the club, I wouldn’t be surprised if De Paul stayed.
“I see him very stimulated in training; he drives the group; he is a fantastic player, an intelligent person, an example for everyone.
“As far as the valuation is concerned, we read the prices in the newspapers, so it’s better to keep everyone calm.”
