Juventus 'Very Confident' of Reaching Contract Agreement With Paulo Dybala
By Tom Gott
Juventus are confident of being able to tie forward Paulo Dybala down to a new contract, with talks already underway.
Dybala has just two years remaining on his current contract and has often been linked with a move away from Juventus in recent transfer windows, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both linked with the 26-year-old in the past.
He sparked concern among Juventus fans on Monday by telling CNN that he was yet to open negotiations over a new contract, but Goal state that talks have since started and everyone is confident of a positive resolution.
"Obviously I am a player of this club and I am happy to be here," he said. "People love me very much and I love the people very much. I have great appreciation for the club and the people who are here, I have a good relationship with my president and surely at some point they will come to chat."
Dybala is believed to be aiming for a £11m-a-year contract with the Serie A giants, and conversations over such a figure are progressing well.
Ohhhh Paulo Dybala! ?
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 26, 2019
That is outstanding!
A stunning free-kick from the Argentine diamond ?? pic.twitter.com/JkKzv2TBQ8
One condition of this renewal is that Dybala keeps his favourite number 10 shirt, regardless of who the club move to sign in the future, and that's not thought to be a problem for Juventus.
Despite regular reports suggesting his future was in doubt under Maurizio Sarri, Dybala has been a core part of the Juventus starting lineup this year. He managed 34 appearances in all competitions before football was postponed, racking up 13 goals and 12 assists.
He had been shunted out to the wing under Massimiliano Allegri in order to make room for Cristiano Ronaldo in attack, but Sarri has instead moved Ronaldo out to the wing to make him the focal point of the side, like he did with Lorenzo Insigne and Eden Hazard at Napoli and Chelsea respectively.
Strike partner goals! ???
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 15, 2020
Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala exchange THREE consecutive one-twos before the senior Argentine slots home for Juventus! ⚫️⚪️
What a goal! pic.twitter.com/Lg6ekgm4Ag
This has given Dybala a new lease of life, and while Ronaldo still steals the headlines, Dybala's creativity has been just as important to I Bianconeri.
Juventus currently hold a one-point lead over Inter at the top of the Serie A table, and they will hope to build on that when they return to action with a trip to Bologna on 22 June.