Roma star Paulo Dybala reveals he snubbed a move to Manchester United in 2019, when he was playing for Juventus, after talking to Maurizio Sarri.
Dybala released a long interview with the Athletic, talking about his career and his plans for the future.
The Argentinean is already a Serie A legend with 123 goals in 324 appearances in the league with Palermo, Juventus and Roma.
He came close to leaving Italy in 2019 when Juventus were in talks with Manchester United over a swap deal involving the Argentinean and Lukaku.
Dybala reveals why he snubbed Man Utd move when he was at Juventus
“That summer, I remember there was an approach from Manchester United as well as Tottenham but it was more Manchester because Juve wanted to make that move,” Dybala said.
“It was the season Juve appointed (Maurizio) Sarri, so I spoke to him to find out if he really didn’t want me on the team. After our chat, my intention was to stay. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay because I was happy (in Turin). That was my best year.”
Lukaku may be involved in a new swap deal now with Napoli interested in the Belgian striker and Chelsea linked with the Partenopei star Osimhen.
Dybala contributed to Juventus’ Serie A win that season and was named the best player of the campaign.
He left Juventus three years later when the Serie A giants refused to extend his contract. The Argentinean joined Roma on a free transfer that summer.
During the same interview, Dybala spoke about his playing style as an attacking midfielder.
“Before the game starts, I give her (the football) a kiss — I want her to want to be with me. I don’t talk to her. I wouldn’t want to bore her. But I do give her ‘un bacio’ — a kiss — so she wants to be as close to me as possible,” he said.
“I have to think and execute in a fraction of a second. There are times when you’re in the dressing room before a game thinking about what might happen and how you might cause defenders problems. But when you’re on the ball and surrounded by defenders, you only have one or two seconds to make a decision, so it has to be quick, it has to be natural. It’s hard if you’re not. Everything you see is natural. Nothing is pre-rehearsed.”
Dybala’s contract with Roma runs out in June 2025 and he revealed in the same interview that he’s unsure about his future at the club.
Ah yes , the guy who waves his World Cup winner shinpad at opposing players …even though he played about 6 minutes!