Back page As Paulo Dybala’s contract expires in June, it seems the forward’s time at Juventus is coming to an end as the club are unwilling to meet his wage demands.
The two parties have been trying to negotiate a new deal for several months, but the Serie A giants do not believe the forward is worth the €10m-a-year contract he is demanding.
The revelation that Dybala may be allowed to leave in the summer once his contract expires has led to a number of Europe’s elite clubs taking an interest in his services, including Tottenham and The Old Lady’s league rivals Inter Milan.
It would be foolish for Juventus to allow the Argentine to leave the club for nothing in the summer though, especially if it could result in him joining a team they are competing with for the league title.
The 28-year-old is having a bounce-back season, following last year’s struggles, and has already notched an impressive 14 goal contributions in just 21 games, even hitting the back of the net in both of his last two league appearances. He is a key figure in Massimiliano Allegri’s side and has stepped up in club captain Giorgio Chiellini’s absence.
The 37-year-old has been limited to just 11 appearances this season due to injuries and Dybala has shown he is a real leader in the team, wearing the captain’s arm band no fewer than 13 times so far this campaign.
Juventus are currently in the midst of one of the club’s most difficult phases in recent years and find themselves nine points behind league leaders Inter, so to allow the forward to leave the club and potentially strengthen Simone Inzaghi’s side could seriously damage any chances the Turin club have of catching up with their rivals.
One of the club’s biggest struggles this season has been finding the back of the net. They have sorely missed Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal scoring exploits following his departure last summer and only Dybala has managed to hit double figures so far this season, with his 10 goals in all competitions making him the side’s top scorer.
Alvaro Morata has not enjoyed the same form he had during his first season back at the club and Moise Kean’s loan spell has not proven as fruitful as his time in France at PSG last year, so in a time when goals are proving hard to come by, any decision to let Dybala leave for free in the summer and significantly weaken an already frail front line would be a huge mistake for Juventus and hinder any chance they have of returning to the summit of Serie A.
The forward joined Juve from Palermo and has scored 110 goals during his seven seasons at the club, more than repaying the €36m they splashed out on him back in 2015.
As things stand, it appears Allegri’s side are going to undergo a serious makeover in the near future, with several struggling faces such as Arthur, Aaron Ramsey and Morata rumoured to be on their way out, while the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been linked with moves to Juventus Stadium.
That being said, Dybala is still vital to Juve’s success and the likelihood of the club finding a suitable, affordable replacement for the 28-year-old is slim to none.
He belongs at Juventus and if the two sides cannot come to an agreement and he is allowed to leave for absolutely nothing in the summer, Juventus will be a much worse off team for it.
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