Rumours in England have today been suggesting that Arsenal are set to sign Palermo's attacking star Paulo Dybala, who has been in some excellent form in Serie A so far this season. The Gunners are apparently going to pip Manchester United to the 21-year-old's signature for a fee of around €40 million, though Dybala won't move to the Emirates until the summer. On first view, it seems like a pretty detailed report, but could this transfer really be on the cards? Let's take a look.
Arsenal swoop for Palermo’s attacking starlet
Could Arsenal be about to swoop for Palermo’s young forward Paulo Dybala?
Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images
Why it makes sense
Paulo Dybala has been in great form this season, and is looking every bit like a very capable Champions League-level star of the future. The Argentine is a highly technically-proficient forward, which, along with his lively movement across the field, has earned him comparisons with Manchester City forward Sergio Agüero. It's not surprising that bigger teams are sniffing around, and much like they lost Javier Pastore to Paris Saint-Germain a few years ago, Palermo won't be able to hold out if a massive offer comes in.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Dybala looks good, but still doesn’t look great. And if you’re going to pay over £30 million for a 21-year-old, they have to look seriously out-of-this-world great. For the time being, he’s still far too raw to be worth the risk -- particularly moving so soon into such a physical division as the Premier League. Despite the comparisons to Agüero, he doesn’t yet have the muscle of his compatriot, and, it’s worth remembering, has scored only nine Serie A goals in his entire career.
What's more, Arsenal really shouldn't be looking to sign a striker right now. Boosted by the summer signings of Alexis Sánchez and Danny Welbeck, the ever-more impressive creativity of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the goalscoring spark of Aaron Ramsey, goals really aren't Arsenal's problem. If Arsène Wenger really wants to turn his team in to title contenders (admittedly, evidence suggests he doesn't...) he needs to be looking to boost his fragile back line or sign a tough-tackling midfield anchorman.
Likelihood it happens
Dybala is too raw, too expensive and too unhelpful in Arsenal's current predicament for this to be worth their while. Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini will probably have to wait a little longer to cash in on his young starlet. 2 out of 10 chance.
