Udinese star Rodrigo De Paul suggests he expects to leave the Dacia Arena in the summer: ‘I was very sincere with them…’
The Argentinean playmaker has been linked with Leeds, Inter and Juventus and Udinese want €40m to sell the former Valencia starlet.
De Paul spoke to the Guardian and when he was asked whether he has discussed his future with Udinese, he replied: “I was very sincere, very clear with whom I had to be clear.
“I said what I thought, what I want. I’m 27 now. I’m not going to speak anywhere else because I respect everyone at Udinese, especially the fans who really love me.”
However, according to reports in Italy, Udinese haven’t yet received an offer that matches their economic demands.
De Paul will play the Copa America with Argentina this summer.
“We know the passion Argentinians feel. We knew stadiums would have been bursting. We knew that every team that came to play wouldn’t just be facing us but 60,000 or 70,000 people shouting,” he said.
“We saw it in Brazil two years ago it was like they played with an extra man. This year was our turn, with us it was going to be even more powerful.
“We have the best captain we could have. I’m not going to talk about his footballing level, because that’s beyond debate. As a person and a guide, Leo [Messi] is incomparable. Having him, everything is easier.
“On a human level, I only had contact with him once: at Valencia-Barcelona. We’re talking 2014. Apart from that I didn’t know him. Given everything he lives through – you can’t go anywhere; set foot in an airport and 200 people are there – he could be a reserved character, so he surprised me,” the Udinese playmaker continued.
“He enjoys having a mate, enjoys listening to a song, enjoys truco [cards]. We do warmup games where you dribble, jump a hoop, shoot. I say: ‘Leo; I’ll take you on.’ He loves that. That humanises him. You can see him as existing in another dimension but he’s a person.”