Leeds United are a matter of days away a historic landmark.It's been 16 long years since the Whites last featured in the Premier League after suffering relegation in 2004.During that time the club have certainly been through a difficult period, but all signs suggest that they've now come out of the other side.Marcelo Bielsa transformed the club after his appointment as head coach in 2018 and quickly turned the club around in a way that saw them competing at the top end of the second tier.While promotion wasn't achieved in his first season, Bielsa emphatically silenced his critics by cruising to promotion last term by winning the league by 10 points.That success will live long in the memory of supporters, but there's no time for complacency.With the Premier League season just a couple of days away, Leeds are kicking on in their preparations.Rodrigo and Robin Koch have already been added to the squad as flagship signings, while a number of talented young players have also been brought in to ensure the long-term security of the club's squad.
But there's more deals yet to be done.Several players have been linked with a move to Elland Road, most notably Rodrigo De Paul.The 26-year-old Udinese man would undoubtedly be a top quality addition for Marcelo Bielsa's squad as they look to add creativity to their side.Valued at £27million by Transfermarkt, it was thought that this was around the sort of fee that Leeds would have to pay to get a deal done, but according Fabrizio Romano the Italian side are holding out for around £36million.
Speaking about the Udinese man, Romano tweeted: "Talks on for Rodrigo de Paul but Udinese don’t want to negotiate for less than €40m (£36m) - still no agreement."
GIVEMESPORT'S Phil Spencer says...
This could be a big obstacle for Leeds United.
Rodrigo De Paul is regarded as the club's number one target this summer, but this could makes things tricky to get over the line.
A fee of £36million is significant, and could even be enough to convince the Whites to look elsewhere.
Of course there's bound to be some room for negotiation, but Udinese will not want to lose their star man on the cheap.
But at the same time Leeds are not there to be ripped off.
Victor Orta is a shrewd operator and so he won't be overpaying for anybody.