Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a contract offer for Juventus superstar Paulo Dybala, who is also a transfer target for Barcelona and Inter Milan.
According to SPORT, Tottenham Hotspur have taken the first step in their attempt to lure Paulo Dybala to north London next summer by offering him a contract. However, they will face competition from Barcelona, with the player said to be keen on moving to Spain.
Dybala has grown into one of the most potent attackers in the game since his move to Juventus from Palermo in 2015. While the Argentine tasted great success in his early years in Turin, he did slip off the radar for a season or two when he was used out of position and had to play second-fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, the 28-year-old has shown signs of being back at somewhere close to his best this season, racking up a tally of 12 goals and six assists from 27 matches in all competitions. But his future at the Allianz Stadium has a big question mark hanging over it as Dybala’s contract with the Bianconeri expires at the end of June.
Talks over an extension have been held, but an agreement has not been reached. The report in SPORT claims that the Argentine international is ready to move on from Turin as he is unhappy with the club’s contract offer. The situation has alerted several elite clubs across Europe, including Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona.
Tottenham have a long-standing interest in Dybala and even came close to signing him in 2019, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute due to a disagreement over third-party image rights. They have, however, continued to monitor him since, and the interest has only increased after Fabio Paratici was named the club’s sporting director last year.
The Italian facilitated the signing of Dybala at Juventus and now wants him at Tottenham Hotspur. While Spurs have some top attacking options in Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura, there is a dearth of quality beyond them. Steven Bergwijn has struggled and could be allowed to leave, while Dejan Kulusevski is still adapting to English football.
So a world-class forward like Dybala, on a free transfer, would be a coup for the Lilywhites. To that end, they have already made a firm offer to his representatives to convince him to join them in the summer. However, they will face competition from Barcelona.
The Blaugrana are in the market for attacking reinforcements and have made Erling Haaland their priority target for the summer. However, at the same time, they will also need to compensate for the impending exit of Ousmane Dembele, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Dybala might not be a like-for-like replacement, but could provide a quality option in the final third for the Catalans.
Barcelona have been following Dybala for years now, and the player is well aware of their interest in him. A move did not materialise in the past because of Lionel Messi’s presence, but that could change now. The Argentine is believed to be open to joining the Blaugrana while the club are also keen, despite being aware of his wage demands.
