Udinese ‘not selling’ reported Leeds United target Rodrigo De Paul in January, director confirms

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Leeds United were consistently linked with a move for Udinese star Rodrigo De Paul throughout the summer but never managed to get a deal done for the Argentine. 

Simply put, he appeared to be too expensive for the Whites who moved on to Michae Cuisance – another player they failed to tie down.

Leeds sporting director Victor Orta confirmed as much.

“[De Paul] was one player we analysed,” the Spaniard told the YEP.  “But, in the end, the valuation of his club was at a level that was difficult for Leeds to reach, as a newly promoted club – not just for Leeds but a lot of clubs because, in the end, nobody took him, because of the evaluation of his club, which is fair.”

Indeed, Udinese were said to be demanding €40 million (£37m) for the player, as reported by Goal.

But there is some lingering hope that Leeds might make a move for De Paul in January, especially as he is currently in fantastic form with his current club.

However, any Leeds fans clinging on to that hope can likely forget about it. 

Udinese’s technical director Pierpaolo Marino has been discussing the player’s future on Italian radio and made it clear that the club maintains a strong relationship with the player and that a January sale was completely out of the question. 

“We are not selling De Paul in January,” he told Tutti Convocati on Radio24, as relayed by 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.”

Leeds could certainly use the midfield depth that a player of De Paul’s qualities would bring and if their current slump continues a January move might become even more enticing – perhaps even worth breaking the bank for. 

However, Udinese’s stance suggests Leeds would need to look elsewhere.