Transfer News: Inter Milan set to beat Manchester United to Juventus ace Paulo Dybala as they prepare £100k-a-week contract
According to Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Daily Mail), Inter Milan are preparing a contract offer worth £5m-a-season for Juventus striker Paulo Dybala in the upcoming summer transfer window.
This news will come as a blow to Manchester United and incoming new permanent manager Erik ten Hag, who is keen on securing the services of the Argentina international (h/t The Sun). ten Hag is expected to take charge of the club in the summer.
Dybala is out of contract at Juventus at the end of the season, with neither player nor club able to come to an agreement regarding a contract extension. As things stand, he is available for free for any interested club.
Into the final few months of his current deal in Turin, the player is free to talk to foreign clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement. United are eligible for this, but it seems that Inter may have stolen the spotlight with their offer to Dybala.
Inter offer massive pay package
The Nerazzurri are preparing to offer the striker a contract that sees his pocket £100,000-a-week, which is admittedly slightly less than the annual £5.5m he makes at Juventus. However, the offer is still more than what the Red Devils have put together thus far.
The Manchester side’s goalscoring record this season has shown that a forward is necessary ahead of the new season. Not just this, it will also have to be someone that ten Hag approves of, but the Dutchman does not take charge of the club until the end of the season.
That will give other clubs, such as Inter, ample time to chalk out a detailed plan to convince Dybala to pick them after he departs Juventus. It is not every day that one gets to sign a full Argentina international for free, and that too of the ex-Palermo man’s quality.
At 28, he is entering the prime years of his playing career, and interested sides will be getting a striker who may take his game to the next level after impressing for the Bianconeri all these years. Inter may yet hold an advantage, given that they offer him the chance to remain in Italy and continue his career in a country he has played in since 2012.
Playing for Man United also means the player is under the spotlight more often than not. It can be a good thing as well, given that 17-year-old Academy product Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra got called up to the senior Argentina side recently. Dybala would also want to become a regular for La Albiceleste again, for whom he has had only three senior caps since December 2019.
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As a free agent, the final decision is up to Dybala’s discretion. That being the case, regular playing time is one thing that can appeal to players in the prime of their careers looking to represent their country on the biggest of stages. This is a chance that United can jump on, given their need for someone to lead the line next term.
If Cristiano Ronaldo opts to stay at Old Trafford beyond the summer, then the ex-Palermo man may be convinced to reunite with the Portugal skipper and recreate their magic on the pitch from their time in Turin. Only time will tell where the Argentine will end up ahead of the new campaign, but hopefully, ten Hag is able to get his hands on a player he seemed keen on.
