Leeds are facing competition from Italy for the signing of Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, a report from TuttoMercatoWeb has claimed.
De Paul has emerged as a major transfer target for Leeds this summer, as they look to strengthen their midfield following promotion last season, having already added to their attack and defence this summer with the signings of Rodrigo Moreno and Robin Koch respectively.
It is thought that Udinese are holding out for a fee of around €40million, which would make De Paul Leeds’ record signing – eclipsing the aforementioned Moreno – and it seems that is not the only challenge the Whites are facing in their attempts to sign the midfielder.
According to the latest reports, Roma have now made contact with De Paul’s agent as they look to steal a march on Leeds in the race for the Argentine international.
However, it does still seem as though Leeds have one advantage in the battle for De Paul’s signature, with the report claiming that the midfielder favours a move to the Premier League and Elland Road, something which has already been strongly hinted at De Paul’s own recent activity on social media.
It will be interesting this how this latest update might impact Leeds’ approach in their attempts to sign De Paul.
While it does seem as though De Paul himself is keen on a move to Leeds for the time being, this interest from elsewhere does put the pressure on the Whites to make their move sooner rather than later.
With Udinese seemingly standing firm with their valuation of the midfielder, you feel Leeds may well have to meet it to complete this signing.
If they do not, then there is the possibility that De Paul will not wait for them forever if other offers start to come in, and that could be a big miss for Leeds given the quality he could have provide them with.