Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene has confirmed that Paulo Dybala will not renew his contract with the club, explaining that the Argentine is “no longer at the centre of the project”.
Following weeks of delays, Dybala’s entourage finally met with the Juve hierarchy on Monday but the meeting didn’t prove to be a fruitful one as news broke of the player refusing the Bianconeri’s altered proposal.
Dybala had agreed an extension with Juve last October before the club decided to retract their offer amid the player’s persistent injury woes, and they haven’t come close to striking an agreement since. In fact, Arrivabene said that the club didn’t even make Dybala an offer in Monday’s meeting with Jorge Antun.
The Argentine’s talent has never been in doubt and he’s been incredibly productive – when fit – this season. No Juventus player has made more goal contributions in all competitions than Dybala (19). He’ll be sorely missed, but I believe that Juve have made the right decision at a crucial point of their rebuilding phase.
Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene confirms that Paulo Dybala won’t renew with Juventus
L’ad #Arrivabene: “Il contratto di #Dybala non è stato rinnovato. L’incontro di oggi è stato amichevole, chiaro e rispettoso. Da parte della #Juve sarebbe stato facile fare un’offerta al ribasso, ma sarebbe stato poco rispettoso nei confronti di Paulo. La decisione è presa”. ❌🇦🇷
— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) March 21, 2022
Despite his production, the Juve hierarchy seemed pretty open to letting Dybala walk for nothing at the end of the season.
Speaking on Monday evening, club CEO Arrivabene (via Romeo Agresti) confirmed that the player will not be extending his contract: “The contract of Dybala has not been renewed. Today’s meeting was friendly, clear and respectful. On the part of Juve, it would have been easy to make a lower offer, but it would have been disrespectful towards Paulo. The decision is made.
“Of a technical nature, no one questioned Paulo’s skill and technical value. Then there were considerations about the length of the contract and financial considerations. We made choices,” he added.
Arrivabene attributed the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina in January as key in deciding Dybala’s future. He said that La Joya was “no longer at the centre of the project” following the Serb’s addition.
Juve will continue their rebuild with Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa spearheading the attack. However, they must sign a player capable of replicating Dybala’s creative output in the summer. Although, they’d be wise to target an alternative profile, perhaps a wide player capable of contributing in all phases.