Paulo Dybala Says He'd 'Swim to Barcelona,' Deals Blow to Manchester United

Palermo sensation Paulo Dybala has seemingly nailed his colours to the Barcelona mast, suggesting he would swim to the Camp Nou if the Catalan giants wanted to sign him up.  

The 21-year-old striker has been in terrific form in Serie A this season, and he has been linked with a number of top European clubs, with Manchester United being named as significant suitors along with Barcelona, per Sean Gallagher of the Daily Mail.

However, the Argentinian dealt the Red Devils something of a blow when he marked a Barca switch as his dream scenario, per Radio Belgrano (h/t Gallagher): "Would I be open to a move to Barcelona? I would swim to Barcelona if they came knocking. I wouldn't even have to change into my swimming gear. After all, I would only have to cross the Mediterranean Sea."

Clearly, Dybala has his heart set on a move to the La Liga giants, with ESPN FC being kind enough to provide an exact route for the youngster:

It is not such good news for United, though, as Dybala would be a fine addition to the Old Trafford squad considering his current record—12 goals and seven assists in 24 league games this season, per WhoScored.com—and the relative underperformance of Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie up front under manager Louis van Gaal.

Dybala certainly seems set to depart Palermo soon, with club president Maurizio Zamparini having fallen out with his star player. It's potentially a situation which could see the Rosanero cash in on him, per Ben Gladwell of ESPN FC.  

He will not come cheap, as his contract runs until 2016, and Zamparini quoted a price tag of €40 million (£29 million).

But if he wishes to move to Barcelona, he will have to wait until their transfer ban is lifted in January 2016. B/R UK's Guillem Balague cast his eye over some other Blaugrana targets set to be pursued:

Barca's transfer ban may throw a spanner in the works for Dybala's potential move to the Camp Nou, as Palermo may wish to ship him out in the summer—potentially good news for United.

However, if the choice of destination is left to the player to decide, Dybala clearly is eyeing Barcelona as his next club.