According to Mondo Udinese, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has identified Udinese midfielder Rodrigo de Paul as the key to rebuilding team his team this summer.
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The Argentine was wanted by Leeds United last summer, but his £35 million asking price put them off.
Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa is still a fan of De Paul, but it is unclear whether the Elland Road outfit will return for him this summer.
However, the 26-year-old is not short of options, with Liverpool now looking to make him a top target in the coming months.
With Georginio Wijnaldum most likely leaving at the end of the season after contract extension talks continually broke down, Klopp sees De Paul as the perfect replacement for the Dutchman.
The Liverpool boss is a big fan of the Argentina international, but his side must be willing to meet Udinese’s demands in order to have a chance of landing him with three years still left on his contract.
De Paul only wants to leave the Italians for a team offering Champions League, and it is why a move to Leeds does not appear to be on the cards.
Liverpool are not guaranteed a spot in Europe’s elite competition next season, after a poor run that has seen them drop to sixth in the Premier League table.
However, they are only five points off the top-four and there are still 13 games left for them to turn their fortunes around.
Liverpool are also still in the Champions League and moved a step closer to the quarter-finals after securing a 2-0 victory in the first-leg of their last-16 clash against RB Leipzig.
They are not favourites to win it, but they are by no means pushovers and will be pulling out all the stops in order to go far in the competition.
In other news, Liverpool have been nominated for a prestigious Team of the Year award.
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