As Paul Pogba’s world record transfer from Juventus to Manchester United inches closer, reports in the Italian media suggest that the iconic no.10 jersey he currently wears will be passed on to young Argentine striker Paulo Dybala.
23-year-old French midfielder Paul Pogba is poised to make a record breaking move to his former club Manchester United. Serie A Champions Juventus have made a number of signings in preparation for the departure of their midfield talisman, including that of Marko Pjaca from Dinamo Zagreb and Bosnian Miralem Pjanic from rivals AS Roma.
However, Pogba’s number 10 shirt at Turin is set to be inherited by Argentine striker Paulo Dybala, according to Italian publication Gazzetta. Pogba has worn the number 10 shirt for just one season, having previously worn the number 6.
Previous Juventus number 10s include some of the biggest names in football history like Michel Platini, Fabio Capello, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero. The jersey is usually reserved for more attacking players, but Pogba’s ability and talent prompted the club to bestow the honour upon him despite his deeper position.
The report goes on to say that Dybala is looking to sign a contract extension on his current deal at Juventus, extending his stay at the club from 2020 to 2021. The deal would increase his wages by a million Euros and the number ’10’ jersey will be the cherry on the cake, making the 22-year-old striker the new talisman of I Bianconeri.
Paulo Dybala joined Juventus last summer for a fee of €32 million and has since gone on to become their mainstay in attack. The Argentine forward ended the season as Juve’s top scorer, with 23 goals in all competitions and 19 in the Serie A. His close control and dribbling ability make him lethal up front and his performances last season even attracted the interest of La Liga champions Barcelona.
The young Argentine will line up alongside his older compatriot Gonzalo Higuain next season and it promises to be a strike duo to watch out for in Italy and in the Champions League.
