According to the agent for Paulo Dybala, Barcelona recently tabled a bid of €80m (£66m) to sign the Juventus striker. That news is shocking on multiple levels. That someone thinks that Dybala is worth that much money and that Barcelona were willing to pay that kind of transfer fee when they already have the MSN connection up-front. Is the bid an indication that Barcelona feels that one of its stars could be leaving?
Dybala was linked with a move to Barcelona last summer after Palermo president Mauricio Zamparini launched a public auction to get the most for the attacker.
Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea were all mentioned as possible destinations, but Juventus beat the lot after paying €32m plus €8m in add-ons to fill the gap left by the departure of Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors.
But Gustavo Mascardi, founder of the prestigious Grupo Mascardi said that Barcelona have made a renewed attempt to sign the 22-year-old following his impressive debut campaign at Juventus. Dybala scored 23 goals across all competitions, including 19 in Serie A to lead Juventus to the title
“When I speak with Paulo and his agent [Pierpaolo] Triulzi, I have proof that the guy is on the right track.
Last year Inter and Milan also wanted him but he was right to choose the club that would give him more guarantees [and fit better] with his technique.
His career at Juventus has just begun,” Mascardi told Gazzamercato, a website specialising in transfers run by La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
Asked whether Dybala would stay in Turin in the long term, he continued:
“The transfer market can offer a lot of temptations but Paulo has shown himself to have clear ideas.
It’s true that recently Barcelona made an approach for [Dybala], with a bid of double what the Bianconeri paid for him last summer.
However, the player’s idea is to consolidate his experience at a club that is giving him the opportunity to succeed at the highest levels.”
Barcelona’s interest in Dybala is not the big story here. The story is that they are interested in the first place, and are willing to spend money they do not have for a player, who are first glance is a back-up to Suarez or Neymar.
A couple of days ago, Mundo Deportivo wrote that Dybala was Barcelona’s top choice to replace Neymar if he were to leave the Nou Camp this summer, amid reported interest from Paris Saint Germain, Manchester United and even Real Madrid.
That Barcelona actually made a bid to Juventus for Dybala would indicate that they feel that there is a strong likelihood that Neymar will be leaving this summer, for what is sure to be a record breaking transfer.
PSG need to replace a superstar to replace Zlatan Ibrahimović and after failing to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, they feel that Neymar would fit nicely into the Brazilian setup they have built in Paris.
Ed Woodward and Manchester United would love to add a Galáctico like Neymar, and while they have the money, they cannot offer Champions League football to the Brazilian superstar. But would the size of United allow Neymar to overlook that for a season?
Chelsea have also being linked with Neymar, but the transfer fee and wages are more than the Blues can afford.
The other possible destination for Neymar is the blue side of Manchester. City certainly have the cash to afford the transfer fee and wages, and Pep Guardiola offers Neymar the easiest transition on the playing side as Barcelona still play the style of football he developed at the Camp Nou.
What do you think of Barcelona’s interest in Paul Dybala and what that means for the future of Neymar in Barcelona?
