Leeds United director of football Victor Orta has told The Yorkshire Evening Post that the club could not afford to sign Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese in the summer transfer window.
Orta has said that the Whites could not meet De Paul’s valuation set by his club Udinese.
Leeds United’s interest
The Daily Star reported on September 26 that Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa was keen on the Argentina international, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger.
The Mirror reported last month that the West Yorkshire club were refusing to meet Udinese’s asking price of £35 million for De Paul.
The 26-year-old himself suggested on Twitter that he wanted to join Leeds in the summer transfer window, as covered by HITC Sport in September.
Orta told The Yorkshire Evening Post: “[De Paul] was one player we analysed but, in the end, the valuation of his club was at a level that was difficult for Leeds to reach, as a newly promoted club – not just for Leeds but a lot of clubs because, in the end, nobody took him, because of the evaluation of his club, which is fair.”
Rodrigo De Paul Stats
De Paul has played thrice in Serie A for Udinese so far this season, while during the 2019-20 campaign, the Argentina international scored seven goals and provided six assists in 34 league matches, according to WhoScored.
Sensible stance
De Paul is a good player who is at the right age to move to the Premier League and play for a big club such as Leeds.
However, the reported valuation of £35 million does seem a lot, especially for a club who have just returned to the top flight of English football and who need to be sensible with their finances.
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