Liverpool have reportedly made several enquiries over deal for €40m midfielder | OneFootball

Liverpool have reportedly made several enquiries over the availability of Udinese central midfielder Rodrigo de Paul ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to an exclusive report from FCInterNews, AC Milan, Inter and Liverpool have all been in touch with de Paul’s agent, Mino Raiola, on several occasions to discuss a possible move.

The report claims Udinese are sticking to their guns and will continue to demand €40m for their star midfielder and are not open to negotiations.

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ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

Naby Keita has been touted with a possible exit from Liverpool this summer and has been valued at £30m. This means that Liverpool could sell Keita for £30m and then spend £34.7m (€40m) replacing him with de Paul, although they could need to make another first-team sale in order to fund the additional money. If Liverpool managed to pull this switch off, it could be a huge upgrade for Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

For starters, de Paul has a proven track record of staying fit. The Argentine international has started 32 or more Serie A games in four of his five seasons in Italy, starting 25 – appearing in 37 – in the other campaign. This shows that he is a consistent figure in the middle of the park and rarely misses games through injury, which can not be said of Keita. The Liverpool man has only started 32 Premier League games in three seasons with the club as he has constantly battled through several injuries.

In terms of what they can offer on the pitch, de Paul also stands out. Keita has scored four and assisted four in the Premier League in three seasons for the club, whilst failing to average a WhoScored rating of 7 or higher in any of his league campaigns. De Paul, meanwhile, has eight goals and eight assists just this season for Udinese and has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.25 or higher in each of the last three Serie A seasons. So, if Liverpool have been making enquiries for de Paul, he could be an excellent addition to their squad.