25 goals, 25 assists – Leicester signing this £31m Serie A star would be a great boost to their attack

Why Leicester City should go all out for Rodrigo de Paul this summer

According to claims from Italian journalist Nicolo Schira (h/t MSN), Leicester City have joined Premier League newcomers Leeds United in the race to sign Argentine playmaker Rodrigo de Paul from Udinese.

As per the report, de Paul remains a top priority for Leeds and while Marcelo Bielsa’s side have offered him a 4-year contract, the two clubs are yet to reach an agreement over the transfer fee. That leaves the door open for Leicester City to try and hijack a deal for the 26-year-old, who is expected to cost a minimum of £31million this summer. 

Profile

Rodrigo de Paul rose through the youth ranks of Racing Club in his native Argentina and went on to establish himself as a first-team regular before completing a move to Valencia. However, the versatile creative star was loaned back to his former club after struggling to acclimatise to life in Spain.

The 26-year-old was snapped up by Udinese in the summer of 2016 and he has since carved out a reputation for himself as an influential attacking midfielder in the Italian top-flight. De Paul boasts an impressive tally of 25 goals and 25 assists in 146 appearances for Udinese in all competitions.

A full international for Argentina since 2018, De Paul has 17 caps under his belt and guided the La Albiceleste to a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa America.

De Paul would add more creativity to Leicester’s attack

Leicester City have one of the best young attacking midfielders in the Premier League in James Maddison. He has established himself as the team’s creative heartbeat since his move to the King Power Stadium from Norwich City back in 2018. 

However, the Foxes found it extremely difficult to cope with Maddison’s absence for large quarters of the previous campaign after the England international was sidelined with an injury. 

Harvey Barnes, of course, enjoyed a fantastic campaign in the Premier League last term, chipping in with 6 goals and 8 assists. Leicester, though, somehow didn’t look like a daunting creative force in Maddison’s absence, with Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet failing to provide the same kind of spark in the final third.

To that end, the Foxes need at least another out-and-out creative midfielder in their ranks to reduce the workload on Maddison. Rodrigo de Paul certainly fits the bill in that regard. The Argentina international is also capable of playing out wide on the flanks, thus offering Brendan Rodgers with some cover in multiple positions. 

Hence, De Paul’s arrival would hand a boost to Leicester’s attacking arsenal while also increasing competition for places. That could be a key factor moving forward, with the Foxes also set to kick off their Europa League campaign in the coming months. 

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Verdict

Rodrigo de Paul is a creative player and his arrival would increase Leicester’s depth in their attacking ranks. 

The Argentine playmaker would offer Rodgers with a much-needed alternative in the creative department due to his proven track record of goals and assists in the Serie A.