The mere mention of Rodrigo De Paul to a Leeds United fan will always leave them asking questions of what might have been.
The one that got away
Leeds were heavily linked with De Paul before he moved to Atletico Madrid, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side seemingly targeting him but failing to get a deal over the line.
There were firstly rumours that Leeds had made a bid for the attacking midfielder, which sent Whites fans into a frenzy.
Phil Hay later would go on to suggest that De Paul was pushed to Leeds, and Angus Kinnear claimed that his side simply couldn’t afford to buy the Argentine.
But they may have some regret now they didn’t sign a player who was seemingly very much on their radar.
At the time De Paul was playing for Udinese and his movements on social media suggested that a move to Elland Road may well have appealed.
Unfortunately Leeds’ chances of landing the energetic midfielder seem all but over now.
Becoming a star
Since his move to Atleti, the 27-year-old has excelled in Spain – and he is now ranked as the 47th best footballer in the world by the Guardian.
De Paul’s standing puts him above the likes of Kai Havertz, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and Declan Rice in the list – and will make grim reading for Leeds supporters.
If they had been able to land the playmaker, De Paul surely would have gone down as one of the finest players to wear their shirt in modern times.
And Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani may be pondering whether they should have just loosened the purse strings slightly to force through the transfer now.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
