Udinese director Pierpaolo Marino has suggested that Rodrigo de Paul could be allowed to leave the club if “an opportunity he can’t refuse arrives”.
This comes from DAZN (via Football Italia), with the midfielder (valued at €38m by Transfermarkt) being reportedly eyed by Liverpool as a potential replacement for outbound star Gini Wijnaldum.
“Obviously, he is a player whose name is on everyone’s lips,” the club executive said. “We have the desire and strength to keep him, but if an opportunity he can’t refuse arrives, we couldn’t hold him back.”
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With our No.5 reportedly heading closer to a dream Barcelona switch, we are expected to invest in a new central midfielder this summer to fill the gap.
Having registered 19 goal contributions in Serie A this term, De Paul would certainly represent an interesting bit of business for us, potentially taking the midfield in a different direction.
In all likeliness, however, considering Klopp’s preference for balance in the middle of the park, we can’t see the player’s goals factoring into a transfer decision so much as his durability or his proficiency in holding on to the ball.
Given that Wijnaldum had been converted from a more forward-minded role at his prior clubs, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that the recruitment team could look to make such a signing.