The candidates for Paulo Dybala’s signature this summer – ranked

TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 05: Paulo Dybala of Juventus celebrates after scoring to give the side a 2-0 lead during the Serie A match between Juventus v Genoa CFC at on December 05, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 05: Paulo Dybala of Juventus celebrates after scoring to give the side a 2-0 lead during the Serie A match between Juventus v Genoa CFC at on December 05, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
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Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone supposedly has a pretty good relationship with Paulo Dybala. (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Diego Simeone supposedly has a pretty good relationship with Paulo Dybala. (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo refused to rule out a move for Dybala this summer: “Dybala is a great player, but at the moment, he is a Juventus player.

“We could be interested, or not. We’ll see; there’s a long way to go before August,” he added (via Football Italia).

This would be a strange move for all parties. It’s just not a great fit. Can you imagine Dybala working under compatriot Diego Simeone? La Joya is hardly cut from the rugged cloth that El Cholo adores. However, we’ve seen Simeone work wonders with excellent technicians such as Antoine Griezmann, converting him into a gritty winner, while big-money Joao Felix is finally starting to come into his own following a couple of years lamenting himself for making the move to Madrid.

And while Atletico continue to manifest their mastery of the dark arts on the European stage, they’ve become more flexible and forward-thinking on the domestic scene over the past couple of years. This shift helped them to the La Liga title last season and is certainly more accommodating for a player like Dybala.

However, I just don’t see La Joya enjoying life with Simeone – even if he does have a pretty good relationship with the Atletico boss. Too many compromises will have to be reached for this marriage to be a fruitful one.

Suitability Rating: 5/10