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Paulo Dybala opens up on botched Man Utd and Tottenham transfers


Paulo Dybala admits he was “close to leaving” Juventus amid interest from Man Utd and Tottenham in the summer.

The Juve playmaker was the subject of approaches from both clubs, but saw a move to either collapse over a reported wrangle involving image rights.

PSG were also rumoured to be interested in the Argentine once the English transfer window had slammed shut, but Dybala ended up staying put in Turin.

Opening up to the Guardian on the experience, Dybala revealed: “I was close to leaving. That was in the club’s thinking, I knew. Until the last minute, we were waiting.”

United had wanted to sign Dybala as part of a swap deal that would see Romelu Lukaku move in the opposite direction, before the switch eventually broke down, with the Belgian transferring to Inter Milan.

Dybala admits he was close to leaving Juventus
Dybala admits he was close to leaving Juventus

Tottenham were also keen on landing Dybala’s signature, with negotiations going right to the wire on deadline day, after a bid in the region of £60million had been accepted, which United were willing to match.

But Dybala’s £350,000-per-week wage demands were a stumbling block for both clubs, in particular Spurs, who were opposed to exceeding top earner Harry Kane’s £200k-per-week salary.

The Argentine forward has since been a key player for his club side
The Argentine forward has since been a key player for his club side

On top of that, any buyer would also have had to stump up a considerable fee to acquire Dybala’s image rights, which had been sold to a third party years before.

With limited time in the window remaining, this issue eventually crushed any chances of an agreement being made prior to the deadline.

The 26-year-old has since flourished under new boss Maurizio Sarri at Juventus, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in 26 appearances so far this season.

But what of the future for Dybala?

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“I have two years left on my contract,” he added. “That’s not a short time but it’s not a long one either. We’ll see what plans Juventus have, if they think I might leave in the next market or if they want me to stay. That’s a decision for the club to make. It’s hard to know because things change in a second.

“But I’m here, at a club that has treated me well; I’m happy, comfortable. [Maurizio] Sarri’s arrival has helped. He wanted me to stay, which gave me strength when we didn’t know what would happen. I knew he could teach me, help me bring out the best in myself.”





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