Significant Rodrigo De Paul to Leeds development reported

Liverpool have joined Leeds United in the race for Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, according to the Sun.

And, in a significant development, the report claims that this could force Leeds into making their move for the midfielder in January rather than waiting for the summer.

Leeds were linked strongly with a move for De Paul last summer with the valuation ultimately proving too much.

However, De Paul has had a very successful first half of the season with Udinese and that has seen him "flagged" by the Liverpool scouting system.

The report said Marcelo Bielsa had been in "two minds" about whether to try to land De Paul in January or the summer, and also claims the Liverpool interest will force De Paul's price up to the £40m mark.

Neverending story

De Paul is the name that just won't go away.

We're not sure what to make of this story from the Sun but we're not putting much stock in it.

In the summer it was said that Leeds wouldn't match the £32m valuation that Udinese had put on De Paul's head.

Leeds have said they're expecting a quiet January.

Put these two together and the chance of Leeds paying £40m for De Paul in this window are about as slim as us winning the Premier League this season.

De Paul made it clear that he wanted to move to Leeds in the summer and we wouldn't be surprised if this story was the result of agent machinations.

De Paul has been performing at a high level – he was included in WhoScored's Serie A Team of the Year – and the fact that his name won't go away suggests a big desire for a move to the Premier League.

We're almost certain it won't be for either Leeds or Liverpool in this window.

In other Leeds United news, 'From what I'm told' – Phil Hay delivers Leeds transfer update on Jan move for £14k/wk PL star