What’s the story?
Juventus have rejected a bid from Barcelona for the transfer of Argentine sensation Paulo Dybala, according to Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to either Real Madrid or the Blaugrana, however, he signed for the Old Lady in the summer of 2015 from Palermo.
The report adds that the Serie A giants are keen on renewing the contract of the fleet-footed Argentine – despite his current contract running until the summer of 2020. The Turin outfit are prepared to offer him a bumper wage hike to ward off interest from the La Liga duo.
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Dybala has often been touted as the long-term successor of Lionel Messi for La Albiceleste and the former Palermo man has seen his stock rise in recent years courtesy of some scintillating displays in the Black and White of Juventus.
The Argentine had scored 23 goals for the Bianconeri last season and was pivotal in Massimiliano Allegri’s side doing the double last season – where they won the Serie A and Coppa Italia.
However, following the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli earlier this year for €90 million, Dybala has played the role of the second striker and has found goals hard to come by – having scored only 4 goals in 15 appearances.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona are definitely on the lookout for a long-term successor for Messi as the Argentine superstar is slowly reaching towards the twilight of his career. At 29, he shows no signs of slowing down but age will definitely catch up with the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner. And who better to be fill in his boots than Dybala – his successor for the Argentine national team.
Add to that the fact that Luis Suarez is also edging closer to his 30s, and the Camp Nou outfit will be wise to plan for a swift change of guard from the current trio to a more dynamic and younger trio of Neymar-Dybala and one of Messi or Suarez – with the former being my pick.
What's next?
Dybala is expected to sign a new contract with the Serie A giants which will give him a wage hike and will keep him at the Juventus stadium in the near future. However, as per the report, Barcelona are expected to return with an improved bid for the Argentine.
Also Read: Real Madrid transfer rumour: Paulo Dybala agrees move to Los Blancos
It has also been reported by Mundo Deportivo that Dybala has agreed to join Real Madrid and a transfer battle between the two arch-rivals is set to ensue for his signature – a la Neymar.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Dybala is definitely going to move to one of the Spanish giants in the next few years. The only questions that remain are – when, for how much and to whom. Taking into account the Messi-factor it can be safely assumed that the 23-year-old will prefer a move to Camp Nou ahead of Santiago Bernabeu.
But in the world of football, nothing is confirmed until the contract is signed and until then he remains a Juventus player.
