Paulo Dybala’s contract at Juventus will expire in June and on Monday, the Serie A side’s Maurizio Arrivabene confirmed the player will leave the club as a free agent after this season.
Tottenham Hotspur, who already looked at the forward before yesterday’s announcement, are in the mix to acquire his services.
Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid are believed to be the 28-year-old’s main contenders, but ESPN journalist Daniel Martinez has insisted Spurs are also in the picture to sign Dybala on a free transfer.
“I would also add Tottenham. And Barcelona always have a good chance,” Martinez told Calciomercato.it’s CMIT TV.
“I try to put myself in Dybala’s shoes. This is the year of the World Cup and he wants to stay in the national team, if he has a sacred monster like Messi in front of him, but a player with his quality can always carve out space. It is true that Messi is there, but Aguero is not there and he can carve out his possibilities.
“He will have no problem finding new accommodation at no cost on a major project. Where he goes will depend on how important he will be for that project in the short term, the key for him is to win the World Cup.”
Martinez is of the belief that form, coupled with the Turin club’s decision to reduce his salary, was the reason behind the two parties deciding to part ways in the summer.
“The figures they had agreed on were not those that could be applied later. At the beginning he asked for €15m with bonuses included. Then they came to an agreement in October that got stuck, because the market changed and Dybala’s performance changed,” he added.
“His entourage has maintained certain requests for some time, Juventus have lowered them further and the circumstances mean that someone like Dybala is very attractive at no cost.”
With Antonio Conte’s side in picture to sign Dybala in the next window, Gazzetta dello Sport explained on Monday that Champions League qualification is key for Tottenham to sign the South American.
Spurs are fifth in the table with 51 points from 29 matches, and are three points behind fourth placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
