AS Serie A finally got round to releasing its 2019/20 fixture list on Monday, various club officials attended the ceremony, providing the journalists present with a perfect opportunity to ask questions about the transfer market. Usually, the enquiries are met with “football-speak” and non-answer answers, the sporting directors and presidents far too media savvy to give away any breaking news.
In one such move, Juventus Vice-President Pavel Nedved as approached with a question about Romelu Lukaku potentially moving to Turin over the next few days. “I won’t get into details and I don’t want to talk about individuals,” replied the 2003 Ballon d’Or winner, only to suddenly change tack when the reporter changed topic and asked about Paulo Dybala possibly swapping the Allianz Stadium for Old Trafford.
“There are some offers, there is some interest, but we wait for concrete action so we can then decide calmly,” he said, words that were as surprising for their honesty as they were for their content. Make no mistake, in admitting that Juventus have received bids for Dybala, Nedved was not just telling the truth about those proposals, he was openly and publicly declaring that the player is very much for sale.
He initially wanted to join Inter, but as they are not able to meet the asking price, Juventus and Man United have come up with an acceptable solution: Big Rom shipped to Juve, Dybala sold to United. Last word for Dybala who has to agree terms with United and has to say ‘yes’.
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) July 30, 2019
Indeed, after a stellar career of his own on the field and now in his tenth year as a club official, Nedved is well-versed in the art of talking without actually saying anything of substance. He knew exactly what he was doing here, and his words are now highly likely to accelerate the exit of the Bianconeri no.10.
It is also a bold admission of something that was clearly evident last term; Dybala simply does not fit into a team alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Former boss Max Allegri certainly tried, deploying the Argentina international as a “false nine,” a right-winger, a second striker in partnership with CR7 and as a trequartista behind him and Mario Mandzukic.
None of those ideas worked, and it could be argued that his only truly outstanding performance in 2018/19 came against Young Boys in the Champions League Group Stage when he bagged a hat trick. Ronaldo was suspended and, given that Dybala scored just five league goals, it seems Maurizio Sarri does not want to waste time trying to shoehorn him into his system.
It is an unfortunate turn of events, but being incompatible with Ronaldo is not a criticism. It is not a knock on Dybala in any way, it is simply the reality of the situation and makes a parting of the ways both inevitable and mutually beneficial.
He remains a truly special player, one capable of scoring sublime goals and unlocking even the tightest of defences, a skilful dribbler and a deadly set piece specialist. The ability to drop deep, find space and then exploit it was central to his explosion between 2015-18, stalling only when Ronaldo arrived and wanted to fill the areas of the pitch where Dybala operates best.
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Previously, whether he was playing off Mario Mandzukic, Gonzalo Higuain or Alvaro Morata, Dybala could pick the ball up and run at scrambling defences, able to decide in a split second whether to pick out a corner of the net or a better placed team-mate when he got close to the penalty area. The goals flowed, scoring 68 times in his first 140 appearances for the Bianconeri, adding 25 assists as those aforementioned strikers benefited greatly from his ability to create chances.
Then the opportunity to sign Ronaldo appeared and Juve seized it, a move which the club simply could not refuse but one which totally reshaped their thinking on the transfer market. Rather than hoovering up talented young players, the Old Lady shifted firmly into “win, NOW” mode and looked to maximise the window for glory that their Portuguese megastar had opened for them.
Mattia Caldara, Leonardo Spinazzola and others were released as Juve brought in proven performers who could help secure as many trophies as possible during what remains of Ronaldo’s prime years. The returns of Leonardo Bonucci and Gigi Buffon underline that philosophy, but now it seems that Dybala will be sacrificed too, the high fee he will command almost certain to allow the Bianconeri to strengthen elsewhere.
The potential for a swap deal with Manchester United continues to gain traction, with numerous reports in Italy and the UK insisting that the Bianconeri will take Romelu Lukaku and €18 million in exchange for Dybala. The latter will be looking for a salary of around €100,000 per week after taxes, and while the merits of Juventus signing the Belgian striker can be debated another day, this looks like an excellent deal for Manchester United.
In need of a move to reignite his career, Old Trafford could be the perfect landing spot for Paulo Dybala.
