Lionel Messi has already told Mikel Arteta why Arsenal must pounce at the opportunity to sign Paulo Dybala on a free this summer. The 28-year-old has shared the international spotlight with the Paris Saint-Germain forward for seven years, bringing a wealth of success to Argentina.
The Juventus forward, who announced his decision to part ways with the Italian giants via a heartfelt message on Twitter, has featured 32 times for his country, directly contributing towards two goals. However, due to Argentina's abundance of attacking royalty, Dybala has averaged just 44.3 minutes a game, and has often played second fiddle to Messi.
However, despite their rivalry for game time, the seven-time Balon d'Or winner has spoken highly of his fellow countryman. Speaking to Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2015, via ESPN, Messi sung Dybala's praises and tipped him to become a player that people will talk about in the coming years.
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"Paulo is a great player and he has a bright future ahead of him," the PSG forward said. "I have no doubt about it that people will talk about him a lot over the next few years."
While Dybala's international pedigree may be overshadowed by Messi, he has flourished on the domestic stage with Juventus. Since arriving in Turin, he's become one of the most coveted players in Europe and has been central to much of the Old Lady's success.
He's relished a vice-captaincy role at the club, and has featured 291 times for Juventus, directly contributing towards 163 goals. Dybala has also won five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia and three Supercoppa Italiana during his spell in Italy.
His impressive displays have made him one of the most coveted players in Europe, and now Arsenal now have the chance to secure the forward's signature amid Edu's search for a new striker ahead of the summer window. Football Italia have claimed that Dybala's agent, Jorge Antun, is currently in London to discuss a potential move with interested Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.
