MILAN- Paulo Dybala will leave Juventus at the end of the season after the Serie A club confirmed that it would not renew the Argentine’s contract which expires in the summer.
Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene brought to an end months of speculation when he said that the club had made no offer to Dybala’s representatives during a meeting held earlier in the day in Turin.
Dybala had been waiting for talks over an extension after a verbal agreement reached in October, which would have bumped his basic salary up to €8 million a season, had been rolled back by the club.
“With the arrival of (striker Dusan) Vlahovic (in January) the footballing structure at the club has changed. Juventus’ project has changed and part of this change included Dybala’s contract which today was not renewed,” Arrivabene told reporters according to AFP.
“It would have been easy for Juventus to make a much-reduced offer but it would have been disrespectful to Paulo.”
Now effectively a free agent, Italian media report that Dybala could move to Juve’s fiercest rivals Inter Milan, with Atletico Madrid also reportedly keen.
The 28-year-old has been dogged by injuries over the last two seasons and Arrivabene suggested that his absences played a part in the club’s decision not to renew.
“Paulo is no longer at the centre of the Juventus project, that’s why we preferred to make this decision,” he said.
“No-one has ever questioned his quality but there were considerations to be made over his appearance numbers and length of his contract.”
Dybala signed for Juventus from Palermo in 2015 and since then has won five Serie A titles and four Italian Cups.
He also played in the team which reached the 2017 Champions League final lost to Real Madrid.
Comparisons between Dybala and Alessandro Del Piero were often drawn over the years and now it seems the nature of their departures share similarities as well.
Del Piero spent 19 years of his professional career with the Bianconeri from 1993 to 2012, making 705 appearances for the club in total.
He scored 290 goals for them in that time, winning a number of honours including a Champions League title and six Scudetti. Wearing the number 10 shirt, he was a fan favourite and well-appreciated servant of the club.
Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, PSG and Inter Milan are interested in Dybala, according to reports.
A number of European giants, including United is said to be interested in signing Dybala.
United has previously expressed interest in Dybala and could now be able to acquire him for free.
Although, despite Dybala not costing anything up front the attacker will still be looking for a large wage package at his new club.
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