Udinese talisman Rodrigo De Paul would be forgiven for being tempted by a summer exit amid interest from Liverpool and Leeds United, manager Luca Gotti has admitted to DAZN, via Football Italia.
Is De Paul becoming Serie A’s answer to Wilfried Zaha?
We ask that not because of any stylistic similarities – the Argentina international swapped the wing for the centre of midfield a while ago – but because he, like Zaha, continues to shine like a Belisha beacon at a mid-table club.
The Crystal Palace talisman is linked with a big-money move every time the window opens – and the same can be said about De Paul.
Leeds were involved in a three-month flirtation with the former Valencia youngster last year and, according to The Sun, could be back on the blower before long.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are prepared to offer about £26 million for an all-action attacking midfielder capable of injecting some youth into Jurgen Klopp’s tired team, according to TuttoUdinese.
And while Udinese will be desperate to hang on to the one diamond in a team full of amethysts, Gotti would understand if De Paul decided now was the time to go.
“De Paul has been here for five years. Every time he gets his head down and works harder than ever before. We’ll eventually sit down and work out a common strategy,” Gotti says.
“He is mentally so strong as he goes on international duty with Argentina, sharing a locker room with players from Barcelona, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, yet every time he comes back here to Udine and works harder than anyone.
“You couldn’t blame him for being tempted (by a move away).
“Alongside the growth of the player, which everyone has been able to witness on the pitch, I also saw De Paul grow as a person over the last two years.
“He has this leadership within the squad that comes from a place of positivity. There are different ways to be a leader, some are authoritarian, but he has this sort of halo of positivity that spreads out and envelops everyone around him.”
It almost seems churlish, at this point, to suggest De Paul would be one hell of a loss for a mid-table Udinese side.
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