Liverpool reportedly in the front row of clubs eyeing up nine-goal midfielder | OneFootball

Liverpool are reportedly in the ‘front row’ of clubs hoping to sign Udinese central midfielder Rodrigo de Paul at the end of the season.

According to Il Milanista, as transcribed by Sport Witness, Liverpool, AC Milan and Napoli are all interested in a deal for the Argentine, who is valued at €40m by Udinese.

The report claims the €40m is too expensive for Milan and Napoli, whilst it remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool could afford a deal for the midfielder.

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ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

On paper, de Paul appears to be an ideal target for Liverpool. For starters, he is at the perfect age to come in and have an instant impact. He turns 27 later this month and that means that he would, in theory, be joining Liverpool during the peak years of his career (26-30) and could play his best football in a red shirt. This means that they could be signing a player who is ready to come in and hit the ground running, whilst still having the potential to improve further and be a key player for a few years as he heads towards his 30’s.

His performances on the pitch for Udinese this season have also been exceptional. De Paul has scored nine and assisted nine in 34 Serie A starts for Udinese, showing that he can score and create goals consistently from midfield in a top league. He has averaged an incredible WhoScored rating of 7.46 in the Serie A, which is higher than any Liverpool player has managed in the Premier League this season. Therefore, he could be a huge addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad and improve his midfield options.

However, the report does not state whether or not Liverpool will be able to afford his €40m price tag. Whilst they may be in the front row of clubs looking to sign him, that does not mean that a deal is likely and there is still plenty of work for the Reds to do before they can plan for de Paul to be in their team next term.