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Football

13th Sep 2018

Paulo Dybala set for January exit from Juventus with offers from Spain and England on the table

The Juventus forward looks set to leave the club this January after only starting one match in Serie A so far this season

Reuben Pinder

He has only started one league game so far this season

Paulo Dybala looks set to leave Juventus this coming January after being dropped from the starting XI in order to accommodate new signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Juve’s first league game of the season against Parma, Dybala started in the number 10 position, but in the two matches since, Max Allegri has opted to revert to a 4-3-3, with Dybala dropping to the bench in favour of another central midfielder.

With Dybala out of favour in Turin, the owner of his former club Palermo, Maurizio Zamparini, has claimed the Argentine will leave the club in January.

“Every time he is left out, it makes me want to cry,” Zamparini told RMC Sport . “He’s on the bench because of Allegri. Allegri should come to Palermo and win the Scudetto.

“Two years ago, I sent Dybala a message and advised him to go to Spain, not Italy.

“He’ll leave, because Juventus want to get €120million. In January, I think he’ll leave for Spain. He has offers in Spain and England,” Zamparini claimed.

“Juventus have a lot of champions and it’s obviously a reason to cry when a phenomenon like him is not playing.”

Juventus are still figuring out the best way to accommodate Ronaldo, and have loaned out Gonzalo Higuaín to AC Milan, under the premise that Mario Mandžukić will link up with their new star better than Higuaín would have.

If Dybala does leave, fans of the Bianconeri will not be pleased – he is very popular at the Allianz Stadium and the fans would not appreciate the board showing such short-term thinking.

If he does leave, he would not be short of suitors, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United all showing interest in the past. However, any potential buyer would have to find a place for him in the team, which could be more difficult than it seems, given his preference of playing as a support striker, and the favoured formations of the aforementioned clubs not including a number 10.