With just a year left on his contract Paulo Dybala has made his intention to leave very clear by rejecting any new contract proposals, forcing Palermo to cash in on one of the most promising young players on the continent. Gustavo Mascardi, one of Dybala’s two intermediaries, has now confirmed he will be speaking to several clubs to discuss the forward’s future alongside Dybala’s agent, Pierpaolo Triulzi.
Speaking to Tuttosport, Mascardi said:
“Myself, Triulzi and (Palermo president Maurizio) Zamparini are working in sync. Now I am in Madrid. On Wednesday I was in Paris. During these days I am undertaking many interviews for Dybala.”
“Triulzi is moving between Paris and London to listen to offers and afterwards he will assess them with me. The two of us are working in harmony with Zamparini to reach an agreement.”
“In the end, Dybala will choose the team in which he sees the best options to grow, and Zamparini will decide if the offer is appropriate for him.”
Mascardi also confirmed that a bid has been placed by Chelsea, but is valued well below Zamparini’s audacious asking price of €40 million, with Italian giants Juventus leading the race for Dybala’s signature:
“Juve would not be a bad option for him because he would continue his career in Italy for at least two more years.”
“Yes, Juve are in pole position because the boy considers Juve as a good destination, because (Juve general manager Beppe) Marotta is a good friend that has submitted the highest bid for him so far.”
“Zamparini is asking for €40m and it seems to me like a fair price. Chelsea presented an offer a while ago, but it was very low.”
Mascardi was keen to speak of the interest of Atlético Madrid, with leading sources in Spain suggesting the Rojiblancos have joined Juventus and Chelsea as well as the likes of Arsenal, Inter Milan and PSG in what is set to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer.
“Yes, it’s true, he (Diego Simeone) and the best European clubs are interested in him right now.”
It is worth noting however, that with the summer transfer fast approaching agents will be talking up potential bids surrounding their clients, in an attempt to prompt a bidding war amongst the interested clubs. Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has likened his outgoing player as the next Sergio Agüero!
Dybala is no stranger to costly transfer negotiations as he sits top of Palermo’s most expensive transfers at €12 million. Initially labelled a flop, Dybala was relegated in his first season with Palermo and went 405 days without scoring a goal, a period which ran on during his time in Serie B.
This season has been strikingly different with Dybala netting 13 goals and setting up a further 9 in 29 Serie A appearances for the Rosanero, forming an exciting partnership with Franco Vázquez. Interestingly Dybala holds dueal citizenship and is eligible to play for both Poland and Italy, but has recently expressed his loyalty towards Argentina.
Chelsea’s interest in Dybala is certainly understandable. Diego Costa has been plagued by a hamstring injury that also saw him miss the latter stages of the season for Atlético Madrid. Club legend Didier Drogba is now 37 years of age and a shadow of his former self with the impressive Loïc Rémy fulfilling what appears to be a stop-gap role for a couple of seasons at most.
