Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has been a staple of Leeds United transfer news over the last week or so. The latest reports claim Leeds could face Premier League competition for De Paul.
According to Nicolo Schira, Leicester City are also interested in De Paul. The Foxes were briefly in Premier League title contention last season and will be eyeing up a top four berth this season after narrowly missing out in 2019/20.
Brendan Rodgers can offer De Paul the prospect of European football with the former Premier League champions set to compete in the Europa League this season.
Schira claims Leeds have tabled a four-year deal for De Paul, but that Leicester are going to join the bidding. With European football on the agenda and a packed schedule, Rodgers will be keen to add to his squad. A lack of depth hurt Leicester last season.
Per Tuttomercanoweb, De Paul’s agent wants to talk with Udinese, Leeds and other interested clubs to sort out his client’s future. Several high-profile Serie A clubs are keen on De Paul, including AC Milan, Napoli and Fiorentina.
Leeds face substantial competition for De Paul’s signature, but reports have suggested they are nearing a deal for the Argentina international.
Udinese are looking for £31 million for De Paul, which would mean Leeds need to break their transfer record for the second time this summer.
Bent Shocked Leeds Haven’t Signed Brentford Star
Former England international Darren Bent has spoken to Football Insider about Leeds’ interest in Brentford winger Said Benrahma.
Increasing their attacking midfield options has been a priority for Leeds this window. Pablo Hernandez has been superb for the club, but Marcelo Bielsa is clearly wanting to add to that part of the squad.
There was a lot of excitement around Benrahma initially. Attention seems to have turned to De Paul instead. Bent was surprised Leeds didn’t sign Benrahma immediately when they got promotion.
He said, “I honestly thought Benrahma would have been the one. I thought they would’ve got him signed up straight away but they haven’t done that yet, they haven’t managed to do it.”
The former Aston Villa striker continued, praising Leeds’ moves in the transfer market thus far.
“It’s going to be interesting but I like what Leeds are doing in the transfer market. They’re getting one or two players in, they’ll be disappointed they didn’t get Ben White but they’ve signed Koch from Freiburg.
"It’s that Bielsa factor, would they be able to attract these players without him, I’m not sure.”
Clearly impressed by Leeds’ acquisitions, Bent isn’t the first pundit to comment on the influence Bielsa has.
Leeds are a huge club, but Bielsa’s presence makes it that much easier to attract top-quality players like Koch, Rodrigo and De Paul.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Manu Fernandez / AP Photo*
