Rodrigo de Paul, after months of being linked with a move to Leeds, remains an Udinese player for now. But it appears the Whites are moving closer to a deal to bring the Argentine to Elland Road, which will excite fans who have been following the saga from the beginning.
Back in March, De Paul addressed the rumours suggesting he could leave during the summer transfer window. And his comments were effectively straight out of the ‘footballer at the centre of transfer speculation’ cliche book.
“For now I’m thinking only about Udinese and the national team,” he told TyC Sports (via SempreInter ). “In June we will see what happens.”
June came and went, and the reports kept coming. Of course, the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus resulted in a delayed finish to the season and the extension of the transfer window, which doesn’t close until next month.
Still, De Paul’s potential switch to Leeds has dragged on, and it will be a relief when - and if - a deal is finally completed.
“In Udine I’m fine,” De Paul added in March. “It’s true, in the last few transfer windows, and also in January, something had been in an advanced state, but then for different reasons nothing became concrete.”
Whether Leeds were interested back then isn’t clear, though the 26-year-old is certainly a Premier League-quality player. De Paul has been a standout performer for Udinese since arriving from Valencia in 2016, scoring seven goals in Serie A last season and clearly catching the eye of Marcelo Bielsa.
The Argentina international has also been linked with Inter and Roma, which is an indication of the kind of clubs Leeds are competing with. He is an in-demand player, and would represent something of a coup for the Whites, particularly after the signing of another Rodrigo, and another former Valencia player, earlier in the summer.
Those two together would be a mouthwatering prospect, but nothing is yet set in stone. “We are evaluating some options,” the player’s agent, Leandro Pereiro, told Inside Futbol this week.
De Paul and his representatives are staying coy, which is hardly unusual. His comments back in March don’t really give an indication as to his preferred destination, though a recent exchange on Twitter proved more telling.
Leeds fanzine and podcast The Square Ball claimed in a Tweet that the Udinese man is “keen on the move but it now rests with the clubs”, to which De Paul responded simply: “Yes.” He added a crossed fingers emoji, too, suggesting he really does hope to be playing at Elland Road in the near future.
The signs are good from Leeds’ perspective. It now just seems a case of getting a deal over the line.
The hope will be that, very soon, De Paul is thinking only about Leeds and the national team.
