Palermo striker Paulo Dybala is one of the hottest properties in world soccer
As a teenager he was given the nickname “La Joya”, the jewel, and Paulo Dybala is living up to it. Before he signed to Palermo in 2012, he was a prodigy in his homeland of Argentina and broke countless records … Continue reading →

As a teenager he was given the nickname “La Joya”, the jewel, and Paulo Dybala is living up to it. Before he signed to Palermo in 2012, he was a prodigy in his homeland of Argentina and broke countless records for Instituto. Now, in his third year in Italy, Dybala is producing at a high level and has many of the elite clubs in Europe interested in signing him.

Last year, the Eagles won Serie B and gained promotion to the top-flight in Italy. Instead of being in the relegation battle this season in Serie A, they’ve been a decent mid-table team, currently in 11th place, and their best player has been the 21-year-old. The forward is currently tied with Fabio Quagliarella for sixth place in the league with 13 goals and is first in assists with 10. He’s a versatile player who can play anywhere in attack and has a sublime dribbling ability. Paulo’s assists showcases his skills at creating chances for his teammates and breaking down a defense with his vision. The main weakness in his game is that he hardly uses his right foot but many players have been successful even with this deficiency, ask Arjen Robben. Palermo’s president has been very boisterous by admitting that the club will most likely sell Dybala and even made a comparison to what the Cordoba native can become one day.

“I’m in contact with the player’s agent and with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. For PSG, he would be a good investment for the future. For me, he is the new Messi. Today, how much would you pay for Barcelona’s Argentine? €200 million? €300 million? And even at that price, would he be sold? Messi is worth an entire team and Dybala is this kind of player. I want €40 million for him but I asked Nasser for €50 million. The boy’s agent’s have already travelled to Paris to talk to the club but Dybala has some doubts because there are already great players there,” said Maurizio Zamparini to Telefoot.

Paulo’s agent has come forward and confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain is interested but also mentioned that the eventual Premier League champions have also placed a bid for his client.

“Paris Saint-Germain have already come forward with an offer of about €46 million and Chelsea had already reached €41 million. We’re now at the stage where the price cannot be lower than €50 million. Paulo is in no hurry and will take his decision calmly,” said Gustavo Mascardi to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta told the La Gazzetta dello Sport paper that his club is also attempting to sign the player but that the negotiations are difficult and it’s most likely because the fee is much higher than what the Old Lady wants to pay.

Recently, Zamparini would confirm that he has spoken with Marotta about Dybala and added another English team to the competition to sign his best player.

“Juventus and Arsenal have made offers for Dybala. His agent will be in Italy on Friday. I want more than €40 million for him. Dybala would rather stay in Italy but, from the English sides, Arsenal are his first choice because of how Wenger’s team plays,” said Zamparini to Radio Marte.

When asked if his club wanted to sign Paulo in the summer Arsene Wenger denied it. But that wouldn’t be the first time that the Frenchman fibbed about the transfer market. However, there are rumors that Arsenal is Dybala’s preferred choice.

Clubs aren’t the only ones fighting for Dybala’s services as national teams are also recruiting him. Even though he was born and raised in Argentina, Paulo can play for Italy because of one of his grandmothers was from there or Poland because of a grandfather. Italy’s manager Antonio Conte has been trying to convince the youngster to play for the Azzuri, but Dybala only dreams of playing for Argentina even though it’ll be tougher to crack the team.

Paulo is far from a finished product but he’s displayed an incredible ability in a short period of time. “La Joya” is currently one of the hottest commodities in world soccer and no matter which team signs him in the summer, it seems like he’ll continue to shine.