Man Utd can't believe their luck; Dybala for Lukaku?

The Argentine could be persuaded to head for Old Trafford and it is a deal in which United would be huge winners, regardless of the potential pitfalls.

Connoisseurs of Italian football are still shaking their heads in disbelief at the prospect of Juventus swapping Paulo Dybala for Romelu Lukaku. For Manchester United though, it would appear to be a no-brainer.

Lukaku has become a £75 million ($91m) makeweight at Old Trafford, with his 42 goals in two seasons not proving enough to persuade Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he should be favoured over Marcus Rashford in the number-nine position. 

As a result, the Belgian has become desperate for a move.

And with United unconvinced by the proposals presented by an Inter side on a tight budget, the prospect of adding a player of Dybala’s quality is understandably tempting. Discussions remain at an early stage so far, but the Reds are surely the only winner if this deal makes it over the line.

Solskjaer’s 4-2-3-1 formation needs a more convincing number 10 than Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata or Andreas Pereira – the three players to have been employed there during pre-season so far – with many of their better chances on tour being created from wide positions and most of their more laboured and ponderous play coming in the centre of the attacking third.

As such, Dybala is a ready-made addition. His ability to evade tacklers and create play from in behind the front man has made him one of the most exciting forwards in the Italian game.

That is not to say he is a guarantee of success for United though, with a million different reasons why this is a move which might not pan out as desired.

Dybala had a promising but inconsistent three-year spell with Palermo after arriving in 2012, with his propensity to go through long slumps having become a concern for some followers of the Rosanero.