Leeds could be edging closer to signing their second Rodrigo of the window
Leeds United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Rodrigo De Paul, after the midfielder was left out of Udinese squad for their pre-season friendly against Legnano.
No Rodrigo De Paul in the #Udinese squad #LUFC pic.twitter.com/r5cy9LxYCC
— Jack (@jack_cym) September 3, 2020
Leeds have already wrapped up the signings of Rodrigo Moreno from Valencia and Robin Koch from Freiburg, adding much needed quality at either end of the pitch.
Marcelo Bielsa is now looking to bolster his midfield options with the addition of Argentina international De Paul, who would cost the Whites approximately €35 million, according to reports.
Leeds face competition from Juventus for the 26-year-old, who is waiting for a concrete offer from the Italian champions before making any decisions. But Leeds will remain hopeful of persuading him to opt for Elland Road for the chance to work with Marcelo Bielsa and be a star player, supposedly an important factor for the playmaker.
De Paul first made a name for himself in his native Argentina at Racing Club, before making the jump to Europe in 2014, when he joined Valencia. A lack of opportunities in midfield at the Mestalla, with De Paul being more often than not pushed out to the left wing, saw him grow frustrated and head back to Racing Club on a short loan spell.
There, he rediscovered his best form, earning another shot at the big European leagues and eventually found a home for himself at Udinese, where he was worn the captain’s armband on numerous occasions and fought his way into the Argentina squad.
If he does join Leeds, he will play in one of the number 8 positions in Bielsa’s 4-1-4-1 system, allowing Pablo Hernandez – a club legend, but losing his legs – more time to rest.
Leeds are spending big this summer, and this has the potential to be famous last words, but you get the sense they are doing it in a much more sensible way than Fulham did in 2018, or Aston Villa did last year. Only time will tell.
