PSG enter the race to sign Juventus' Dybala as a potential Mbappe replacement

Cameron Smith

• 22 Apr 2022 15:48 BST
• 3 min read

Paris Saint-Germain have joined several elite European sides in the race for Juventus forward Paulo Dybala.

The Argentine international's deal at the Old Lady is due to expire at the end of the season and he reportedly won't be signing a new deal in order to pursue a move elsewhere.

Dybala, 28, has attracted interest from Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, as well as from several other Italian clubs.

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However, they have been accompanied by PSG who are understood to be eyeing up Dybala as a potential Kylian Mbappe replacement should the Frenchman leave the club this summer.

Like Dybala, Mbappe's contract expires once the 2021/22 season draw to a close and he's been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid. His family are currently in Qatar reportedly discussing a new deal with PSG's owners, but will travel to Madrid next week in order to conduct similar talks with Real Madrid.

PSG are understandably keen to keep the Frenchman following a season in which he's already contributed 33 goals and 22 assists in all competitions, but according to French news outlet BUT, they do have a contingency plan if Mbappe decides to swap the Parc des Princes for the Santiago Bernabeu.

They believe that Dybala is the right man to take over the mantle from Mbappe in the event of his departure.

He is seen as a low-cost option given the fact that Mbappe won't garner a transfer fee, despite his ability, due to his contract situation.

PSG utilised the free transfer market frequently during the course of the most recent summer transfer window, signing Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi via this method.

Would Dybala be an effective Mbappe replacement?

Dybala joined Juve from Palermo back in 2015 and enjoyed an illustrious start to life in Turin.

He scored 19 goals and assisted seven during his first Serie A season at the club and backed it up with two more years of 20+ goal contributions in the division.

That form sparked rumours of a move to Barcelona, with fans dreaming of Dybala playing alongside his fellow countryman Lionel Messi and eventually replacing him.

However, a poor 2018/19 season curtailed any talk of a move away and he's been building his reputation back up again since then. With eight different injuries since the start of last year, fitness is a concern with Dybala which is in direct contrast to the ever-reliable Mbappe who's missed just nine games during the same time period.