After bursting onto the Serie A scene with Palermo, a true star at Juventus and then a hero at AS Roma, Paulo Dybala looks set to swap the Italian capital for Galatasaray this summer.
The Argentine foreigner endured five hot months, but in reality his ailments go back much more than that. Introduced at Juventus in 2015 at a price of 32 million euros ($33. 58 million) – plus 8 million euros ($8. 39 million) – he has one of the most fashionable highs in football and was thought of as a possible winner of the Ball. insect. Formation
Helping the Bianconeri to three consecutive Serie A and Coppa Italia doubles in his first three seasons in Turin cemented those views, only for injuries and the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to marginalise Dybala’s impact.
A missed penalty would give Juve victory in the 2020 Coppa Italia final, and Dybala would start just 14 league games the following season, falling into the shadow of new signing Dusan Vlahovic following Ronaldo’s departure.
Then, in March 2022 came a genuine bombshell. After talks over a new deal, Juve’s then-CEO Maurizio Arrivabene announced that the club had decided not to renew Dybala’s contract which would expire in the summer.
“Juventus’ project has changed and part of this change included Dybala’s contract which today was not renewed,” the Bianconeri chief told reporters. “It would have been easy for Juventus to make a much-reduced offer but it would have been disrespectful to Paulo.
“Paulo is no longer at the center of the Juventus project, that is why we made this decision. Nobody ever doubted his quality, but reflections had to be made about his squad and the duration of his contract. “
While Juve had decided to cut ties, Dybala was still held in high regard by other sides and was seen as a widely coveted free agent as Inter, Atletico Madrid and a number of Premier League sides were linked with moves to sign him.
Still only 28 and having bounced back to end the 2021/22 campaign in good form, it was easy to see why. Yet rather than one of Europe’s elite clubs, it was AS Roma who eventually won the race to acquire Dybala, announcing with great fanfare that he had signed him to a three-year deal.
The replacement proved ideal for either side, as Dybala helped the Giallorossi to success in the UEFA Europa League Ultimate in his first season, with 18 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
But since then, the number of Roma has declined. Jose Mourinho was sacked in January 2024 and despite a brief resurgence under club legend Daniele de Rossi, the scenario has only gotten worse.
This past summer things appeared to come to a head with De Rossi admitting to La Gazzetta dello Sport that selling Dybala was an option. That led to links with teams in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Al Qadsiah eventually making a concrete offer to both Roma and the player.
To delight of Rome fans, Dybala rejected that option, but the 2024/25 season has not given them much more to celebrate. Rossi said goodbye after only 4 games, and the replacement Ivan Juric lasted only 12 more games before Claudio Ranieri called to review and resurrect his fortunes.
Yet even he has struggled, winning just twice thus far and the poor form of many players is glaring to observers everywhere. Amidst such upheaval, Dybala has made 18 appearances, managing just two goals and one assist as his side slump to sit just two points above the relegation zone.
Roma have never entered talks to renew his contract which expires in June, and speculation sparked into life when Dybala’s agent was spotted at Galatasaray’s match with Trabzonspor this past weekend.
Sky Italia has since reported that the Turkish team had offered Dybala a €10 million ($10. 5 million) per year contract, while Galatasaray vice-president Metin Ozturk admitted to TMW that there was contact. between his club and the player.
“Everyone plays their role and does their job. “I am satisfied to have him and play with him when he is fit,” Ranieri said when asked about the rumors via Sport Mediaset. “If you have other priorities, either party wants to reach an agreement on that. If you don’t want to stay, there is the option [to leave]. I want players who are satisfied to stay here.
It remains to be seen if Roma will sell in January or if Paulo Dybala will be a loose agent on the move this summer.
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