Opinion: The future of Dybala is in the players hands.

Paulo Dybala, La Joya, The Jewel of the Bianconeri, who for the past 4 years has undoubtably been Juve’s best player, and it is for this reason that the past year and a half has been so frustrating for the player and supporters of him and the club, as when he is on the pitch, his brilliance can be easy to see, but that’s the thing, when he’s on the pitch, as that has not always been a sure thing since the start of 2020 and the begging of the COVID era.

Lingering muscle injuries seems to be the theme of Dybala in this time period of brilliance mixed with time away due to injuries, and it’s for this reason I believe Juventus management has seemed to welch on their original offer to Dybala which previous reports seem to indicate was in the 4-5 year range. But this weak word came in that Juve’s new offer would be for no more than 3 years, a sign that Juve does not want to get in a long term commitment with a player that due to injuries, has not been as reliable in previous years. Signing players to long term deals has not alway worked out for the club in the past, as we saw with Sami Khedira and now Aaron Ramsey, and it is for this reason I believe Juventus is now behaving extra cautious when throwing around money and term to players of a certain age, especially if their bodies have shown signs of breaking down in the past.

It is for this reason I believe the contract with Dybala is not yet a done deal, and at the moment I give the odds of Dybala resigning with Juventus at about 50/50. Dybala now holds all the cards because Juventus have made their proposal and there is no chance they will go back on it. Therefor the only option for Paulo is to take the deal, or find a club that will give him the 5 year long term extension that he is seeking.

Just as I was writing this, rumours of Dybala’s isolation due to catching the COVID bug started circulating around social media, only for Dybala’s girlfriend Oriana Sabatini to put out an instagram post that read “Unlike what people say, my family and my boyfriend are not in isolation. Fortunately we are fine and without Covid. Be careful.”

Good news for Paulo and supporters of his that would like to see him play for this club for years to come, as if there is any chance of Juve upping their offer, Paulo will need to be available for every important match coming up in the second half of the season. If he can’t do that, then unfortunately for him, his Juventus days may be coming to an end.