Udinese owner Gino Pozzo is desperate to keep hold of the “fantastic” Rodrigo De Paul amid interest from Leeds United and Liverpool, speaking to SportItalia, via Tuttomercatoweb.
In an era of transfer requests, hissy fits and insidious, motor-mouthed agents, De Paul is a breath of fresh air.
The Argentina international has refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with a move away from the Stadio Friuli, opting instead to praise the club that took a chance on him after a difficult spell at Valencia.
According to JuveLive, Leeds made a £24 million bid last summer for De Paul and remain on the trail of an all-action, all-round midfield general who would fit Marcelo Bielsa’s high-octane style very nicely.
Liverpool are interested too, although it remains to be seen whether Jurgen Klopp’s side is willing to meet Udinese’s £40 million asking price (TuttoUdinese).
But, with Udinese’s ambitious president targeting a return to the Champions League, don’t rule out the prospect of Pozzo’s inspirational captain staying for one more year at a club that loves him dearly.
“He is a very important player. He is one of the best players ever seen in Udine in my management,” says Pozzo, who also runs the show at Watford.
“He is a fantastic player. We hope he will stay because we had fun with him and I would like to have fun again.
“Udinese’s goal will be to go to the Champions League. We want to do it with De Paul.”
Despite producing nine goals and ten assists during arguably his finest season yet, De Paul alone isn’t enough to drag Udinese towards the summit of Serie A.
The Zebras are currently trotting around in 12th place – a colossal 36 points adrift of the Champions League spots.
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