Tottenham Hotspur are set to reignite their interest in Paulo Dybala this summer, and that could spell the end for Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius.
According to Calciomercato last week, Juventus are ready to sell the 27-year-old as he enters the final year of his contract after an injury-hit season.
This has put Spurs on alert, having nearly signed him during the 2019 summer transfer window before that deal collapsed at the 11th hour due to controversy over his image rights.
Le Zebre sporting director Pavel Nedved remained coy on Dybala’s future in a recent interview with DAZN (via Marca), saying: “He has a contract for one more year and I have nothing more to add to what [Fabio] Paratici and president [Andrea] Agnelli have already said. But it is clear that at Juventus we evaluate every business opportunity.”
For £40m, who would you rather Spurs sign?
VINICIUS
DYBALA
That certainly seems like a hint that he could be cashed in on in the near future.
It remains to be seen how much of a fee he would command, but the aforementioned report claims Spurs would be willing to pay up to €45m (£38m) for his signature this time around, whilst Transfermarkt currently value him at £54m.
Despite being on the treatment table for much of 2021 so far, Dybala still rates out as Juventus’ sixth-best player, as per WhoScored ratings, and it was only last campaign that he posted 31 goal contributions (17 goals scored, 14 assists).
Speaking about his ability in an interview with The Athletic, former Spurs nemesis Aaron Ramsey lavished praise on the Argentinian by saying: “I can just confirm that Dybala is an unbelievable player. He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking.”
This renewed interest, however, spells trouble for Vinicius as he’s only on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and, in order to make that move permanent, Daniel Levy will have to fork out around £40m, according to the Evening Standard.
The Brazilian frontman has done his job to great effect, bagging ten goals in just 21 appearances (928 minutes) whilst playing second fiddle to Harry Kane, but if you can secure a player of Dybala’s calibre for the same price, then it has to be a no-brainer, right?
It’s the sort of signing which could get Spurs back onto that extra level – the one which saw them reach the Champions League final only two years ago.
Jose Mourinho’s doubts over the Benfica ace should be enough to warrant letting him go in the summer. He believes that the youngster isn’t comfortable with the press, something Dybala should be fine in doing considering he’s been trusted to play all across the frontline throughout his Juve career.
Any move for the 5 foot 10 dynamo could certainly mean that Spurs are prepared to move on from Vinicius.
AND in other news, Levy’s fury: Spurs passenger continues to crash under Jose, his value has dropped 45%…