Leeds on alert as Liverpool step up chase to land £40m Bielsa target

Ciro Immobile Rodrigo De Paul

Leeds will face a battle with Liverpool if they want to land Udinese star Rodrigo De Paul this month, according to reports.

The Elland Road outfit have have been tracking the attacking midfielder since last summer.

However, a report in The Sun claims that Marcelo Bielsa is in two minds whether to bid in January or wait until the end of the season to make his move again.

His hand may be forced though, with Jurgen Klopp’s men making their own interest known.

The report adds that Liverpool’s interest could force Leeds transfer chief Victor Orta to accelerate his plans to land the Argentine.

De Paul is said to have shown up well on Liverpool’s ‘meticulous scouting system’, with Klopp looking to bolster his attacking options.

Inter Milan are also showing an interest in the 26-year-old, but the player prefers a switch to England.

That has left Udinese in a position where they feel they can demand a competitive price for their player.

Rodrigo de Paul

They currently value De Paul at around £40million, with the player scoring 28 goals in 158 games for the Italian side.

De Paul has been with Udinese since joining from Spanish giants Valencia in 2016.

He has also been capped 21 times by Argentina and is an established member of the current squad.

Fiorentina star also on Leeds’ radar

Leeds are the “most concrete” suitor for wantaway Fiorentina midfielder Erick Pulgar this month, according to a report.

Pulgar was one of the names Leeds looked at as an alternative to Rodrigo De Paul during the summer transfer window. However, they left it too late to bring in either of the Serie A stars.

Erick Pulgar, Christian Kouame TEAMtalk

As their first season back in the Premier League approaches its half-way stage, they are still looking for reinforcements.

Leeds will be happy with their position of 12th in the table. But they know there are things they need to tighten up to make their top flight stay more comfortable.

Signing a new midfielder remains high on Marcelo Bielsa’s wishlist. Rumours about De Paul have not completely faded, but it seems more probable they will scour the market for other options in January.

The Elland Road outfit can be expected to reignite their pursuit of Pulgar, though. According to La Nazione (via Sport Witness), Leeds have made the “most concrete” contact for the Chile international. Read more…