The five steps that led to Dybala’s Juventus exit

Paulo Dybala will leave Juventus at the end of his contract in June and Football Italia looks at the five steps that led to his surprise departure.

The Argentinean had reached an agreement to extend his expiring contract until 2026, but Juventus changed their stance in January, signing Dusan Vlahovic and withdrawing the offer for La Joya. They were supposed to make a lower contract offer but ended up telling Dybala’s agent that he was no longer wanted at the club. La Joya had been identified as Juventus’ most important asset after Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit in the summer, so how did they end up like this?

Dybala suffers Del Piero treatment in Juventus exit

December 2017 – Nedved and the sacrifices

It was December 2017 when, while commenting on the Champions League Round of 16 draw that saw Juventus paired with Tottenham, vice president Pavel Nedved warned Dybala for the first time. “Surely we have to rediscover the true Dybala,” he told Sportmediaset.

“He must make sacrifices in private life and give his best in training. That’s the only advice I can give him to become a top player. He is 24 and it’s normal to have highs and lows. He knows that there is a club backing him and ready to support him anytime.”

The Argentinean was facing one of his most difficult moments in Turin but resulted decisive in March by scoring the winner in the decider of the Champions League Round of 16 against Spurs at Wembley Stadium.

July 2019 – Collapsed Lukaku swap deal

The first time Dybala was put on the market by Juventus. The at-the-time director Fabio Paratici had reached an agreement to send him to Manchester United in a swap deal with Romelu Lukaku.

Dybala opted to remain Turin, snubbing offers from United and Tottenham. It was the first proof that the striker was no longer ‘untouchable’ at the club. It turned out to be a good decision for the Argentinean and Juventus as Dybala was named best Serie A player for the 2019-20 and played a key role in their title-winning campaign under Maurizio Sarri. Arguably, the Tuscan coach was the only one able to make Ronaldo and Dybala coexist in the same tactical system.

December 2020 – Agnelli vs. Dybala

With just one year and a half left in his contract and after seeing newcomers such as Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot get his same salary and Matthijs de Ligt earn even more, Dybala publicly pushed for a new deal.

“My agent was in Turin for a long time and was never called up,” Dybala said.

“It disappoints me to hear talk of invested financial figures. It would be better if the truth could be told, because talking about those figures in the current situation pits the fans against me, with all the love I have for Juventus.”

President Andrea Agnelli replied a few days later: “I heard with great pleasure his love for Juventus, The love is reciprocated. We see him as the captain of the future.

“I know he has already received a proposal that would put him among the top twenty most paid players in Europe. We’re looking forward to his response, the most important thing is to see his answer on the pitch. We all want him to be one of the top five players in Europe, he’s still not among them and he is aware of it.”

Dybala glares at Juventus directors after refusing to celebrate

December 2021/January 2022 – Contract talks and Arrivabene claims

Fast forward to the end of 2021 when Juventus and Dybala shook hands on an €11m-a-year deal. The actual signature in the contract was postponed due to bureaucratic reasons also linked with the status of Dybala’s representative Jorge Antun who was still not registered as a professional football agent.

“I am accustomed to being a plain-speaker. Nowadays, many players have more loyalty to their agents than they do to the club shirt,” Arrivabene said in December.

“Dybala is the Juventus Number 10 and De Ligt is a great defender. They have to do their jobs, we do ours. But there is a good rapport.

“It’s very easy to talk about how much you care for the club colours, but you need to prove it on the pitch. And we want them to prove it.”

Dybala reacted on the pitch, but in a way that Juventus didn’t like. After scoring a goal against Udinese in January, he refused to celebrate, glaring at the Allianz Stadium’s main stand instead, where Arrivabene and Nedved were sitting.

March 2022 – The end at Continassa

Juventus didn’t like his non-celebration and after less than two weeks, they broke the bank to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina for €80m. It was the exact moment where the Bianconeri decided that Dybala was no longer in their plans.

Juventus withdrew their contract offer for their star and didn’t even make a new one in their last meeting with Antun. Arrivabene has explained that offering a lower salary would have been easy for Juventus and disrespectful to the player.

Dybala has been one of Juventus’ most relevant figures over the last seven seasons, scoring 113 goals in 283 appearances. However, his injury record has often prevented him from getting regular playing time and being the team’s main star and leader. Dybala was surprised to find out the club’s choice and his brother Gustavo has been the only one to offer an official reaction on social media from the player’s camp, just writing: ‘Incredible’ on Instagram.