Manchester United Reportedly Eye January Move for Paulo Dybala
Manchester United are reportedly set to pursue Juventus star Paulo Dybala in January and could make a bid in the region of £107 million to land him.
According to Calciomercato.com (h/t The Sun's Gary Stonehouse), the Red Devils will make a move for him when the winter transfer window opens, stealing a march on Barcelona, with whom he has frequently been linked in recent years.
Calciomercato is also reporting that Juventus could be open to the prospect of Dybala heading to Old Trafford in exchange for Paul Pogba.
Pogba has been the subject of much transfer speculation, with Barcelona strongly linked, and a return to his former club Juve has also been speculated upon.
The 24-year-old Dybala joined the Bianconeri in 2015 and has since racked up 68 goals and 25 assists in 142 appearances.
With his remarkable intelligence and technical skill, Dybala is viewed in many quarters as one of a handful of players who could inherit the mantle from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Like the pair, he has a penchant for the spectacular:
However, he's yet to show the unwavering consistency the pair have shown at the highest level throughout their careers.
Football writer and broadcaster Mina Rzouki believes Dybala still has plenty to prove:
Nevertheless, he'd be an excellent buy for almost any side, particularly one that does not always convince going forward.
ESPN's Alex Shaw discussed the Red Devils' problems in attack after their 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last month:
As Shaw noted, United's struggles in the final third are not necessarily a personnel issue, given the talent they can call on in that area of the pitch.
However, that's not to say they wouldn't benefit from having another inventive force in the side, particularly one who can score goals as well as create them.
The chances of Juventus allowing him to leave in the middle of the season seem highly remote, though, as they'll want to keep their best players to aid in their pursuit of the UEFA Champions League.
United and any other admirers will likely need to wait until a summer transfer window if they want to recruit him, and even then it's far from guaranteed he'll be available.
