Tottenham Hotspur face a battle to land Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo de Paul with Aston Villa and Everton allegedly keen.
Spurs may be in the market for a midfielder this summer and fans will want to see some creative quality brought in.
Rodrigo de Paul may fit that bill having been a skilful and creative force for Udinese.
Now with Atletico Madrid, De Paul could be on the move this summer after just 14 La Liga starts this season.
The 28-year-old may need a fresh start and Inter Live suggest that Tottenham are very interested.
So are Inter Milan though and it’s even suggested that three Premier League clubs – Aston Villa, Brentford and Everton – have also joined the race.
De Paul can allegedly move on for around €30million (£26million) this summer and the race for his signature is well and truly on.
Rodrigo De Paul is Lionel Messi’s ‘bodyguard’
Unai Emery can expect some pretty decent backing in the transfer market with his team clicking into form towards the end of the season.
De Paul may well be a player Emery likes and he will be well aware of the Argentinian after managing against him as Villarreal boss.
De Paul is not only full of ability and guile on the ball, but he’s not afraid of a scrap either.
The former Udinese star has even been tabbed as Lionel Messi’s ‘bodyguard’ in recent years.
Whenever Messi is fouled or confronted by opponents in an Argentina shirt, De Paul usually isn’t far away trying to stand up for the little magician.
That kind of mentality will appeal to a number of managers with Emery seemingly interested.
It’s hard to see Tottenham pushing for a move right now though; director of football Fabio Paratici has taken a step back from his role and Spurs don’t even have a manager yet.
That may give Villa a window of opportunity to move for De Paul and add quality to Emery’s engine room.
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