Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential departure from Manchester United could open up a sensational move for Paulo Dybala to Old Trafford, according to reports in Italy.
In similar scenes to his exit from Juventus last summer, Ronaldo has not reported back for pre-season training with the club amid various claims he is looking to leave the club.
There have been links with Premier League side Chelsea but Sky Sport Italia’s Angelo Mangiante suggests the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, in talks with Barcelona and that could see United move for free agent Dybala.
Dybala had been strongly linked with Inter but that transfer has stalled, leading to speculation he could end up elsewhere.
Reports in the UK had suggested United were not expecting Ronaldo to leave this summer so that would mean any replacement is likely to be on an emergency basis and not one which was part of their initial transfer plans.
Should Ronaldo move to Barcelona, it would be a highly controversial switch, given he is the all-time leading goal scorer of the Catalans’ arch-rivals, Real Madrid.