Why Juventus and Manchester United Are Hoping to Capture Palermo's Paulo Dybala

The list of Serie A’s highest goalscorers this season contains few surprises, the likes of Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain lead the way once again, with the evergreen Antonio Di Natale occupying another of the top spots. Looking a little closer, however, the name of Paulo Dybala is catching much attention, enjoying something of a breakout season with newly promoted Palermo.

In 21 top-flight appearances this term, the Argentinian has notched 11 goals, a tally far better than the five he registered in Serie B last term. The dramatic increase in performance has been noted by some of the continent's biggest clubs, with Simon Jones of the Daily Mail reporting Manchester United sent scouts to watch him in action this past weekend.

If that was indeed the case, those making the journey from Old Trafford would have been disappointed, catching perhaps his worst performance of the season as Palermo lost 3-0 to Inter. It was a rare poor showing this term for Dybala, his form for the Rosanero certainly warranting the increased attention he is receiving.

Indeed, had those representing Louis van Gaal’s side been in attendance in any of his previous 11 outings, they would have seen the 21-year-old at his brilliant best. Nine of his goals—as well as four assists—have come in that spell, including displays that inspired Palermo to a win over Milan and a deserved draw against high-flying Roma.

The Sicilian club’s outspoken president Maurizio Zamparini has his critics, but he deserves much of the credit for Dybala’s emergence. Upon signing him almost three years ago, he told Sky Italia that Palermo had beaten Paris Saint-Germain to a player he dubbed "the new Sergio Aguero,” (h/t Goal) and he placed huge faith in Dybala this past summer.

Leading scorers Abel Hernandez and Kyle Lafferty were both allowed to leave in order to create space for the former Instituto star, a decision that has clearly been rewarded. Zamparini has spoken openly about his plans to sell Dybala this summer, telling Radio Due (h/t the Guardian):

"

Dybala is worth over €40 million but I won’t sell him until June. Many foreign clubs asked after him, including Manchester United.

I told the English side that he is not for sale right now, but we can talk about it again in six months. In my view, he is the best striker in Europe at the moment.

"

However, the English club are far from the only interested party, with Juventus also reportedly keen on signing Dybala. Zamparini told TuttoSport this week that he would prefer to see the player stay in Serie A, revealing he has discussed the matter with Bianconeri director general Beppe Marotta.

“There was no contact with Napoli, but it's true that I've been in touch with Marotta,” Zamparini said (h/t Football Italia). "He phoned and said: 'President, if you sell him, Juve is here. We are ready to negotiate, and we are very interested in your lad.'”

"I told him: Beppe, I'm glad and if I can I'll sell him to you I'd prefer that, as it would keep Dybala in Italy,” he continued before adding a warning. “But knowing him as I do, I was clear: Don't expect a discount.”

Either of the two clubs would surely welcome Dybala, who has shown there is much more to his game than goals. Excellent on the ball, his ability to beat opponents one-on-one is highlighted by the above graphic from Squawka, showing he has enjoyed a 60 percent success rate when taking on defenders.

His passing has been good too, with statistics from WhoScored showing he has completed 82.6 of his attempts so far this term. Consistently turning in high-quality displays, his play has seen Palermo enjoy an excellent campaign, currently sitting in ninth position, just five points away from a place in Europe.

While that may be difficult given the quality of the teams around them, there seems little doubt their Argentinian star will be taking on the continent’s best next term. Manchester United and Juventus will not be the only ones paying attention, and Paulo Dybala will surely be taking his act to a much bigger stage this summer.