Romelu Lukaku-Paulo Dybala swap was on cards, confesses Federico Pastorello
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Romelu Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello has admitted that the Belgian striker would have signed for Juventus if Manchester United had signed Paulo Dybala. The two parties were in conversation over a move for the Argentine but nothing materialized and Lukaku eventually left for Inter Milan.
The Red Devils eventually moved on from the Argentine forward and opted to reinforce their back-line that summer with the arrivals of Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, reports indicate that the move for Dybala only fell apart because of the Argentine’s wage demands and United’s desire to not sign a big name for all the wrong reasons.
If the move had gone through it would have seen Lukaku sign for the Old Lady as the deal was essentially a swap deal for the two. That has now been confirmed by the Belgian’s agent, Federico Pastorello, who went on to admit that Lukaku is playing for Inter Milan only because of the fact that the Red Devils and Dybala couldn’t come to an agreement. He also added that Juventus did everything in their power to try and get their man.
"Lukaku is wearing the Inter Milan shirt and not the Juventus one because Juventus didn't end up finding an agreement between Dybala and Manchester United. Juventus had done an incredible job in trying to get him. They have been the best club for its organisation, but also trophies won. Every season it wins something. Lukaku at Juventus would have made many people happy," Pastorello told Sky Sports.
Somehow, the transfer saga never seemed to affect Lukaku with the Belgian hitting the ground running at the San Siro. He managed to net 23 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions before the season was suspended and is one of the main reasons why Inter Milan are in the title race. But Pastorello believes that it’s because of the way Milan treated the striker enabled him to thrive.
"Romelu has a big heart and he needs to be in a place in which he feels loved and people want to have him. From this point of view what made the difference was the warmth of the Inter fans in comparison to the Juventus fans. Inter Milan meant a real change. He felt loved, created a link with the Inter fans and felt immediately desired," Pastorello added.
