Fabio Paratici all ears, with Juventus no nearer to contract resolution despite Ronaldo exit
Paulo Dybala and Juventus are no nearer to agreeing a new contract despite Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Turn, claims a report.
Juve and Dybala have been back and forth over a new deal for the last 18 months. The Italy international’s current contract expires next summer, meaning he could talk to foreign clubs over free-transfer deal in January 2022.
Tottenham have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old forward.
Dybala in fact came close to leaving in 2019, but a move to Tottenham failed to materialise. He has though been mentioned as a target for Spurs since then. And Fabio Paratici arriving as sporting director at Spurs only fuelled those rumours.
The former Juve sporting director played a role in getting Dybala to the Old Lady from Palermo in 2015.
Whether or not Paratici would go after Dybala once more remains to be seen, but Juve and the striker are far apart in their contract talks.
Calciomercato reports that an agreement is not close and in fact, Juve chief Federico Cherubini is offering less money to Dybala than the club previously offered him last summer.
It was thought that Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Manchester United would leave Juve with money to get a new deal rubber-stamped.
The Old Lady have removed Ronaldo’s €31m salary, whilst also receiving a small transfer fee.
However, per the source, they are still reluctant to bow to Dybala’s demands. Dybala has been looking for €10m a season to bring him into the same wage bracket as Matthijs de Ligt.
Dutch international De Ligt earns around €12m a year, but the report says Juventus cannot offer such a salary again.
Dybala’s agent Jorge Antun is apparently determined to achieve that salary for his client and will demand that when he meets to negotiate with the club again.
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Torres has no regrets after snubbing Spurs
Meanwhile, Villarreal defender Pau Torres insists he does not regret turning down a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
Spurs were hunting for defensive cover and landed Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero for a reported £42m fee.
Nuno Espirito Santo was still keen to add more depth to his squad though and Spurs are believed to have had a £43m bid accepted by Villarreal for the Spain international.
SIC Noticias journalist Pedro Sepulveda revealed that Tottenham had made a breakthrough in their pursuit of Torres in mid-August.
Villarreal accepted an initial bid worth €45m with €5m in bonuses. That meant the Europa League holders gave Torres permission to talk to Tottenham.
In those discussions, though, the 24-year-old refused the move. The reason given was a lack of Champions League football on offer. And that now appears to be true after Torres explained his decision to Spanish outlet AS.
“I was told about Tottenham’s interest, but I always had it clear in my mind that I wanted to continue at Villarreal,” the Villarreal-born player told AS.
“My idea was to experience a thrilling season [after qualifying for the Champions League].I wanted to remain home and at Villarreal. It was a quick decision. I’m happy with the decision I’ve taken. Personally, I have a very beautiful season ahead as it will be my debut in the Champions League.
“All decisions are respectable, I wanted to stay. I’m happy with the decision I made, my idea was to stay home and I’m happy about it.
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