Leeds United target Rodrigo De Paul will not be leaving Udinese for a penny less than £36 million, the Serie A club’s vice-president Stefano Campoccia told Radio Kiss Kiss.
Udinese are not a club who tend to let their star players depart on the cheap.
Leeds found that out the hard way over the summer, when they tried and failed to lure a tricky Argentina international to Elland Road.
De Paul was certainly up for the switch – he made that clear in a now-deleted Twitter post – but convincing his current employers to agree to the deal was easier said than done.
According to the Mirror, Leeds had no choice but to set their sights on more affordable alternatives when Udinese made it clear that a move for De Paul would set the West Yorkshire giants back a record-breaking sum.
Now, with The Little Zebras nervously perched just three points above the relegation zone, the Serie A strugglers have no plans to reduce their demands.
“He is a jewel and the jewels cost. The proposals (for De Paul) did not meet our requests – for less than 40 million euros (£36 million) he does not move,” Campoccia said, via Padova Sport.
“De Paul is an important player. He is a player who has shown his great value and I am convinced that he will prove it again with the black and white jersey.”
With just three goals and two assists in 16 Serie A matches this season, De Paul is not exactly justifying his monstrous price-tag at the moment.
Perhaps that is why, according to the Sun, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is in two minds about whether to launch a January bid for his long-term transfer target.
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