Paulo Dybala might be nicknamed “The Jewel”, but he has lost his shine in the eyes of Juventus.
The Italian club’s CEO, Maurizio Arrivabene, revealed on Monday that the Argentina international will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, following a two-hour meeting with his agent.
Arrivabene’s message, which ended a contract saga stretching back to 2020, was simple: the future now belongs to a new gem called Dusan Vlahovic, who joined from Fiorentina for £66.6m in January.
“With the arrival of Vlahovic, Paulo was no longer at the centre of the project,” Arrivabene said.
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But on Tuesday, Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport both splashed mocked-up pictures of Dybala in an Inter Milan shirt on the front page.
The link isn’t new as Giuseppe Marotta, the architect of Dybala’s move to Turin from Palermo in 2015, is in charge of business at San Siro. But not everyone is convinced.
“I still think Dybala is Juve. I’m struggling to see him at another Italian club,” Inter legend Giuseppe Bergomi told Sky.
This isn’t the first time Dybala, 28, has been linked with a move to England. Juventus tried to sell him to Manchester United and Tottenham in 2019 and the Argentine later admitted talks took place, even though he didn’t speak to either club directly.
“I communicated that my intention was to stay,” Dybala told CNN a year later. “Obviously it wasn’t easy because Juventus’s intentions were different, but after the market closed there was no more time.”
It turned out to be a blessing for both parties, as Dybala went on to score 11 goals and win Serie A’s Most Valuable Player award in 2019-20, inspiring a Maurizio Sarri-led side to their most recent title.
It hasn’t been so smooth since, though. Dybala mustered just four league goals, his lowest tally at Juve, as they finished fourth under Andrea Pirlo last season.
A combination of fitness problems and contract uncertainties have overshadowed this season, even though he has scored a respectable 13 goals in all competitions under Massimiliano Allegri.
The clearest sign of a fractured relationship came when Dybala glared at Juve directors instead of celebrating a goal against Udinese in January, after more than a year of negotiations had failed to lead to a renewal. Ultimately, Arrivabene said the split came down to “considerations about appearances, contract length and finances”.
In other words, Juve didn’t think Dybala was good value for money.
A big reason is his fitness record. He’s had five separate spells out this season and featured in just 12 minutes of Juve’s embarrassing Champions League last 16 exit to Villarreal.
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“I don’t think it’s just economical, the major doubt is about injuries,” former Juventus midfielder Angelo Di Livio said.
Nevertheless, Dybala’s overall record of 113 goals in 283 games, five league titles and four Coppa Italia crowns has made him a modern great in the eyes of some Juve fans – not to mention the magic he can produce on the ball.
“I’m very surprised, because it won’t be easy for Juventus to find another player of his quality,” his former team-mate, Blaise Matuidi, said. “He’s done fantastic things, the fans adore him and will never forget him.”
It’s a painful end to Dybala’s long and distinguished Juventus career, but perhaps The Jewel can sparkle elsewhere.
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