Speculation continues to link AC Milan with a possible move for Paulo Dybala this summer, but would the Argentine playmaker be a sensible addition to the squad?
The 28-year-old is a free agent after leaving Juventus this month following the expiration of his contract, and unsurprisingly he has attracted plenty of interest from both within Italy and around Europe.
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After scoring 115 goals and providing 48 assists in 293 appearances for the Bianconeri which saw him win countless trophies, there is no doubting his experience and pedigree at the top level, but would Dybala make sense as a Milan signing this summer?
Pros and cons to AC Milan making Dybala swoop
As per Gianluca Di Marzio, reported by MilanNews, there was no meeting between Dybala and Milan on Wednesday with the Rossoneri yet to make a significant step forward in any potential pursuit.
It’s added that in order for Dybala to join Milan, he would have to take a significant salary cut, and so it’s unclear at this stage as to whether a switch is even feasible.
On one hand, if a deal makes financial sense for the club, then it should be a no-brainer to try and sign Dybala this summer.
Milan must address the lack of creativity in the final third from this side last season, both in the No.10 role and on the right wing with the likes of Brahim Diaz and Alexis Saelemaekers struggling to provide consistent creativity and problems for the opposition defence.
Dybala can play in either of those roles, would arguably thrive when playing off a target man like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Olivier Giroud, and with his creative quality combined with an eye for goal, he would be a strong addition to the squad given what he has achieved over the course of his career which has largely been played in Italy.
The Argentine international would be an instant upgrade on some of the options currently at Stefano Pioli’s disposal, and with the ability to make an impact and influence our play both domestically and in Europe having been through those experiences and tested himself against high level opposition, he would be a smart addition to add real quality to the XI.
That said, he missed nine games in Serie A last season due to various injury setbacks, while he missed 14 the year previous through injury and so that doesn’t paint a particularly promising picture over his availability, which in turn makes any swoop with big wages seem like a risk and out of sync with Milan’s more recent strategy to control the wage bill.
Naturally, some will also argue that there are younger, cheaper options available that could match or even better Dybala’s contribution and that Milan should focus on alternative targets with a longer-term plan in mind, but time will tell if the club’s management, once in place officially under the new ownership, will agree with that assessment or bide their time and try to convince Dybala to join us ahead of the new campaign.