Udinese’s Technical director Pierpaolo Marino has made it clear that he is not going to sell Leeds target Rodrigo de Paul in January.
The Argentine has been the subject of interest from Leeds United for a long time, and with the Whites still not signing a midfielder, the idea of a January move for De Paul wasn’t off the table.
Until now that is.
The Serie A director has made it very clear that he won’t be cashing in on the Argentine in the winter window.
“We are not selling De Paul in January,” he told Tutti Convocati on Radio24 (via Football Italia). “You don’t sell important players like him in January.
“We have a great relationship with him and have no problems keeping him here with us. I said for two years he would have stayed but nobody believed me.”
This may not be that big of a blow for Leeds.
After spending almost £100m in the summer, they don’t really need any signings in January, and with Marcelo Bielsa preferring to bed his new signings in over a period of time, any deal for De Paul may actually be better off being negotiated in the summer.
Also, 2ith Udinese flirting with relegation from Serie A, the Whites may end up getting a much better deal for him in the summer in any case.
The Italian outfit will be in a much weaker position if they’re lining up for a campaign in Serie B.
After such a lengthy pursuit this summer, it’s hard to believe that we’ve heard the last of the De Paul to Leeds rumours, but it seems as though he won’t be arriving at Elland Road this winter.
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