Catalan giants Barcelona are in a spot of bother as having failed to lift the league title last season they are now finding it hard to lure top transfer targets to the club this summer. But that is not all. Barcelona are also set to lose their talisman in Neymar Jr this transfer window as French giants PSG are ready to meet his release clause of €222m, which will force the Spanish side to sell.
The Brazil international is one of the best players in the world of football at the moment and he has also established himself at the international level, winning a number of accolades at just 25 years of age. He is almost irreplaceable and Barcelona will find as much this summer but they already have a few names lineup up as possible replacements.
Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho, Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann are all on the radar of the Spanish outfit but the latest name doing the rounds is the Argentine star, Paulo Dybala.
A product of the Instituto academy in Argentina, Dybala is an attacker who is at his best when playing as a support striker. He picked up eight goals and 11 assists in Serie A last season, playing just behind Gonzalo Higuain in Turin, helping them to a Champions League final.
He now has 126 Serie A appearances, 18 Champions League appearances and eight international appearances, all at the age of 23 and is surely a star for the future.
Known for his exceptional dribbling and even better finishing abilities, Dybala is a creative outlet in the final third, who is hard to catch. He has great vision and can create chances consistently while his strength and ability to hold off defenders is an added asset.
Neymar Jr played as a left winger for most of his time at the Camp Nou but it is difficult to see Dybala, a left-footer, to play on the flank. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are also at their best from the middle and though Messi has established himself on the right wing, Dybala may not be able to do the same.
So Ernesto Valverde might have to change his system to a 4-3-1-2 which will see Luis Suarez team up with Dybala in attack with Messi playing in a number 10 role through the middle.
There are very few options who can replace Neymar as well as Dybala but Juve are adamant that they will not sell him even for €140m. So do you think Dybala is worth more than that for Barcelona?
