The end of Paulo Dybala’s contract saga is nowhere close to being over with the club resuming negotiations next month.
As Juventus legend Andrea Barzagli has recalled, Juventus and Dybala have been negotiating a new deal for almost two years now, but the Old Lady is now running out of time.
The Argentinean’s contract at the Allianz Stadium runs out in June and although he had reached an agreement to extend his stay until 2026, Juventus will likely change their offer in February.
The Old Lady seemengly can’t afford a new €10m-a-year deal and will reportedly make a lower offer in their next meeting with Dybala’s agent in February.
Barzagli warns Juventus over Dybala extension: ‘Now it could be late’
As we already reported today, Juventus will first discuss their economic situation in a shareholders meeting next month. But what led to this situation?
Dybala’s last contract extension is dated back to April 2017, but the Argentinean was close to leaving Juventus many times since.
Back in 2019, he was on the verge of joining Manchester United in a swap deal with Romelu Lukaku. However, he rejected a move to Old Trafford and turned down Tottenham as well.
The 28-year-old refused a move to the Premier League out of love for Juventus but has been pushing for a contract extension for a while.
“My agent was in Turin for a long time and was never called up,” he said in December 2020.
“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 was not impressed and replied a few days later.
“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,” Agnelli said.
“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.”
The two parties had put negotiations on hold for a few months before reaching an agreement at the end of 2021 but apparently, those terms are no longer valid as Juventus will make a lower offer to Dybala.
Arrivabene piles Juve pressure on Dybala, reassures Szczesny
The Argentinean seemed annoyed by the situation and the recent developments, including claims from new club CEO Maurizio Arrivabene.
Back in December, the former Ferrari Team Principal said that Dybala is an important player for Juventus, although ‘many players have more loyalty to their agents than they do to the club shirt.’
Juventus on Dybala and De Ligt: ‘Players loyal to agents, not clubs’
A few days later, he piled up pressure on the 28-year-old, saying that ‘those who wear the Number 10 on their backs must realise the weight of this particular Juventus jersey. What I said about Dybala was not just about him, but everyone.’
The Argentinean once again replied on the pitch, refusing to celebrate his goal against Udinese on Saturday and saying that he doesn’t ‘have to prove anything to anyone.’ The story is far from being over.
he doesn’t ‘have to prove anything to anyone.’ ? That’s CRAP ! he thinks he deserves a contract renewal and I don’t believe he does. He hasn’t played 3 games in a row in 2 years, and the more he has made the worse he has played. He doesn’t score in this big games and he is no captain. Keep in mind that there’s so many factors to take into consideration behind the scenes ….maybe Juve is working on a January deal to sell him…..maybe they have a shareholders meeting waiting for fund approval….maybe they want to see if they qualify for Champions League…….maybe they are waiting for some player to accept a deal for Juve to replace dybala……maybe money is the big issue…….there are so many factors to consider.
@I MISS MARCO BRANCA AT INTER, has he really not played three games in a row in two years? Regardless, this current team needs him more than ever. Defo deserves a new contract.