Chelsea join Liverpool in tracking Leandro Paredes, but the Roma midfielder – on loan at Empoli – notes “Serie A is more technical than the Premier League.”
The 21-year-old Argentine has been a key figure for Empoli this season, capturing the attention of clubs both in Italy and abroad.
Liverpool were already interested, but now Sportitalia claim Chelsea have joined the race to snap up the €6m-rated talent.
“I feel ready for the big step up in my career,” Paredes told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Chelsea join Liverpool in tracking Leandro Paredes, but the Roma midfielder – on loan at Empoli – notes “Serie A is more technical than the Premier League.”
The 21-year-old Argentine has been a key figure for Empoli this season, capturing the attention of clubs both in Italy and abroad.
Liverpool were already interested, but now Sportitalia claim Chelsea have joined the race to snap up the €6m-rated talent.
“I feel ready for the big step up in my career,” Paredes told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I’d like to return to Roma. Serie A is more technical than the Premier League. Their football goes at a very fast pace, but you can never do without technique.
“Rudi Garcia had faith in me, but I think Empoli was the right choice. The training sessions are very intense here and I practice free kicks twice a week.”
Empoli Coach Marco Giampaolo moved Paredes from a trequartista role behind the strikers to a more central midfield position.
“I owe him so much. I like him. He talks to me, teaches me a great deal, shows me videos of where I’ve gone wrong, but also the clips where I did things right.
“I am happy in this position, as I always have the ball at my feet and I was born with the ball at my feet. Just think, at the age of four I’d eat with the football under the table.”
He started out in the Boca Juniors academy, but has been in Italy since January 2014.
“My father was a brick-layer, but ensured we never lacked for anything. Now he is retired and I bought a house for him and my two sisters.
“Sometimes he’d take me to see Boca Juniors. Fortunately the tickets aren’t too expensive there, unlike in Italy, so the stadiums are always full.
“In my view Juan Roman Riquelme was football. I met him, we still talk and he taught me how to distribute the play, protect the ball.
“At Roma there were Miralem Pjanic and Francesco Totti, but I watched Radja Nainggolan more. He is the best midfielder in Serie A. He’s got it all: strength, technique and energy. He is the complete midfielder.”
Paredes could well be in action this summer at the Rio Olympics for Argentina.
“I work every day to play in the Olympics along with my friend Paulo Dybala.”