- 20 Dec 2024
Dybala birthday celebrations spark fresh Juventus exit talk
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 17 May 2021 22:14 BST
- 2 min read
Paulo Dybala’s future at Juventus has been further called into question after he failed to give thanks to the club during his birthday celebrations.
The Argentina international is currently locked in a transfer deadlock with the Turin side. He is unhappy at his lack of game time and that has led to rumours he could depart the club.
Those whispers grew louder after Dybala seemingly ignored Juve’s good wishes as he celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday.
While he thanked a long list of apparently obscure figures on his Instagram stories, there was no such offer for Juventus.
It may, of course, have been an oversight, but Juventus supporters are fearful that it is simply another hint that he is ready to leave the side.
Dybala’s time at Juventus
Dybala moved to Juve in 2015 from Palermo and signed a five-year deal. In his first three seasons he was a key player, yet his importance to the side has diminished since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.
He continues to be peripheral under the guidance of new head coach Andrea Pirlo.
He suffered a thigh injury that kept him out of the opening game of the season against Sampdoria, but since he has started only three of nine fixtures. Indeed, prior to the international break, he played only quarter of an hour in a 1-1 draw with Lazio.
Maurizio Zamparini, the man who brought him to Italy with Palermo, has told him to think about a departure. Indeed, the man who once dubbed him ‘the new Messi’ still believes Dybala must go to Real Madrid.
Juventus, though, will be reticent to see the player leave. With Ronaldo’s future looking increasingly unstable, they can scarcely afford to offload a player who has match-winning qualities.
Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have both been linked with the creative forward in recent weeks.
