According to Calciomercato, Zenit St Petersburg have made their move to hijack Leeds United’s interest in Udinese playmaker Rodrigo De Paul.
It’s claimed that Zenit have spoken to De Paul’s entourage in order to communicate their interest in a deal.
Zenit intend to sell Emiliano Rigoni, and have identified his fellow Argentinian De Paul as the ideal replacement – but they have yet to make a firm offer.
That’s because De Paul’s priority is Serie A, with Juventus keen to sign him, whilst Napoli are also in the race.
Italian clubs appear to be favourites now, meaning a move to Russia looks unlikely – as does a switch to the Premier League as things stand.
Leeds United have been pursuing a deal for De Paul for a couple of weeks now, but have so far yet to reach a breakthrough in talks with Udinese.
The 26-year-old bagged seven goals and six assists for Udinese last term, whilst posting impressive numbers for both dribbling and key passes.
De Paul could have brought more creativity to the Leeds side and likely been a long-term successor to Pablo Hernandez, but Zenit now pose a new threat – and De Paul’s preference to stay in Italy will be a major stumbling block too.
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