Man Utd are reportedly keen to land both Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic in a swap deal with Juventus for Romelu Lukaku.
The 26-year-old struggled to impress last season with just 15 goals in 45 appearances for the Red Devils, and that in turn led to the first question mark being raised over his future.
SEE MORE: ‘Bang average’ and ‘sly’ – Man Utd legend blasts duo and Ed Woodward in open letter
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemingly preferring to play with more pace and movement in the final third, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and summer signing Daniel James are likely to lead the line for him this season, and so that could cast further doubt on Lukaku.
According to The Times, United are keen to sign off on a deal that would see the Belgian international move to Juventus, with both Dybala and Mandzukic heading in the opposite direction to give Solskjaer quality and depth up front.
It’s said that the deal could hinge on Dybala’s decision, while there would be no fee involved as the valuation of the pair seemingly match that of Lukaku’s or thereabouts.
That’s arguably the only questionable part of the deal though from a Juventus perspective, as with Sky Sports noting that Dybala is valued at €100m, while Tuttosport note that the Turin giants would demand in excess of €10m for Mandzukic, that easily surpasses the £79m+ that Lukaku is said to be valued at, as per the Sky report above.
Nevertheless, perhaps with the additional boost of cutting their wage bill, the reigning Serie A champions are prepared to make that sacrifice as coach Maurizio Sarri may feel as though Lukaku could be a better foil for Cristiano Ronaldo to strike the right balance up top.
As for Man Utd, Dybala’s creativity and technical quality in behind the striker could be very effective and complement the pace and movement of the young forwards in the squad, while Mandzukic would add a different dynamic with his physical presence and brings plenty of experience too.
