One transfer saga that appears to have dragged on for a lifetime but there is likely still a lot more to come is that of Leeds United and Rodrigo De Paul, with Forza Italian Football editor in chief Conor Clancy claiming that the midfielder wants to work with Marcelo Bielsa.
De Paul appeared all but set for a move to Elland Road last summer just for Leeds and Udinese unable to meet on a transfer fee despite the player agreeing personal terms and he is still being linked with a move this summer.
Will Leeds sign De Paul?
Yes!
No!
The Argentine enjoyed yet another scintillating season in Serie A for Udinese with nine goals and 10 assists in 36 league games, but with Bielsa now set to stay at Leeds for at least another season it may help De Paul decide if he really wants to join the Yorkshire outfit.
For someone so talented it will require a huge transfer fee but there is a belief that De Paul really wants to work with Bielsa which could help Leeds United in their pursuit, according to Clancy who spoke exclusively to This is Futbol:
“He even spoke last year about the Leeds move and he said that it was almost done and that he wanted to go. So, if you’ve got a player saying that, and you can get them to come in the end because he clearly wants to work with Bielsa, I think it would be a lot of fun.
“He’s a little bit of a hot-head so he’ll probably get the odd red card, particularly if he’s having a bit of trouble settling in at first, but in terms of his ability, I don’t think it can be questioned anymore.”
Having a player already convinced to join a club before they had even played a season in the Premier League was half the battle so surely it would be a lot smoother negotiations if Leeds still wanted him this summer.
Having spent £95 million last summer on the overall squad, Bielsa may feel like this year he can afford to spend more money on one player to add that extra bit of quality this summer.