Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid in three-way tie for 28-year-old forward

Paulo Dybala’s Juventus future is under extreme scrutiny. His contract runs out at the end of the season and the Turin-based team, who were initially reluctant on losing him, now seem to have reservations after having offered a lower salary than the one proposed before.

The set of circumstances Dybala finds himself is baffling, to say the very least, but it’s given that his contractual condition has made him one of the most wanted commodities in the transfer market.

Being a free agent means there’s interest aplenty and as journalist Nicolo Schira says, the likes of Inter, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are ready to pounce on the given opportunity. Schira even says the three teams have approached Dybala’s agent, asking for the availability of the Argentine.

As of today, the player and his representative, Jorge Antun, are still working on reaching an agreement with Juventus, but the record Serie A winners are no longer interested in offering the previously quoted figures of €8.5 million per year + €1.5 million as bonuses until 2026.

Rather, the Bianconeri have now lowered their offer to €7 million per year,  while reducing its tenure to three years. The decision comes on the back of Dybala’s injury record that has seen the Argentina international already missing 13 games this season. Furthermore, he is also certain to miss Sunday’s Serie A meeting with Spezia.

It’s even more frustrating for Juventus as Dybala, who only missed 25 games between 2015 to 2020, was forced to sit out in 21 matches due to injury last term.

Amazingly enough, the ongoing injury is Dybala’s sixth of the season. The 28-year-old was expected to return on Sunday but suffered another relapse in training on Friday. This has not only hampered his consistency but has also tested Juventus’s patience a significant time.

It’s often that one man’s pain is another man’s pleasure, and the idiom fits perfectly for Barcelona since they have been chasing Dybala for a long time now. But while his contractual situation is seemingly suiting Barça’s agenda, the injury record is doing no good for all parties involved.

This is enough to make a big difference for someone like Barcelona since they have been in this situation before.