Paulo Dybala to Man United: How Juventus forward would fit in at Old Trafford

Paulo Dybala could feature in a sensational swap deal taking him to Manchester United and Romelu Lukaku to Juventus. But what would the Argentina international bring to Old Trafford?

Lukaku's future has been one of the sagas of the summer with Inter Milan seeing a £53.9m bid for the Belgian rejected by United last week, but now it appears the striker could be heading to Inter's Serie A rivals Juventus - and that will mean a new look for United's front line.

But how would Dybala fit into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans? And why are Juventus happy to include him in a swap?

Here, we take a closer look at the forward…

Dybala factfile

Name: Paulo Dybala
Position:Forward
Age:25 years old
Club: Juventus
International:Argentina (24 caps, 2 goals)
Honours: 4 x Serie A, 3 x Coppa Italia, 3 x Serie A team of the year

What's the story of the saga?

Dybala has long been considered one of the hottest talents in Europe and has enjoyed some stellar seasons in Italy, shining at Juventus after making his name at Palermo. His 68 goals in 140 appearances between 2015 and 2018 for Serie A champions Juventus had a long list of clubs reportedly chasing his signature.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City have all been linked with the Argentine in the past, while United have repeatedly been tipped to make a move for him. This summer Tottenham were also reportedly interested - although they would have needed big-money sales to finance a move for a player valued in excess of £80m.

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Dybala has always insisted he wanted to remain at Juventus - but the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin changed his role, his standing in the team and opened the door for a potential move. "He was the player that suffered from Ronaldo's arrival the most," Sky in Italy reporter Francesco Cosatti said.

With the emphasis of the team's play focused on Ronaldo, Dybala played deeper and his goal tally fell dramatically. "At one point in the season Dybala found good stability, he was starting every game and playing a lot - but he did suffer in the goal-scoring aspect. Then he got injured, and the relationship with Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri started deteriorating, without a doubt," Cosatti added.

That Ronaldo-centric approach is set to continue in 2019/20. Maurizio Sarri met Ronaldo at the earliest opportunity after being appointed new Juventus boss, stepping onto the Portuguese's yacht to discuss how he could help him help the team. His first meeting with Dybala will take place on August 1, following Dybala's return from his summer break after the Copa America.

Dybala's next step not only hinges on that conversation but also on the future of United striker Lukaku. With the Premier League side valuing Lukaku above the £79m they paid for him in 2017, Inter Milan's £53.9m bid last week was quickly rejected. Instead, a deal with Juventus and Dybala is on the cards.

Sky in Italy reported on Tuesday that United and Juventus had agreed a swap deal, while Dybala's agent was in London that day for talks with United. By Wednesday evening, everything seemed in place for the transfer to take place - along as Dybala agrees.