Tottenham Hotspur could finally replace the void left behind by Christian Eriksen and it won’t cost them a penny, according to emerging reports.
Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that Spurs are one of two clubs that remain interested in a move for Paulo Dybala ahead of the summer transfer window.
It’s thought that the 28-year-old is ‘liked’ a lot by the north London outfit, which is hardly much of a surprise given sporting director Fabio Paratici’s connection, having held a similar role at the Serie A giants for over a decade.
Dybala has long been linked with a move to the Lilywhites, even coming close during the summer of 2019. A deal fell through late on due to image rights and it has never come to fruition since then.
However, that could be about to change with the Argentina international still out of contract in the summer, meaning Tottenham could clinch him without paying a transfer fee for his signature.
The arrival of Dusan Vlahovic has changed Juventus’ thoughts on keeping hold of Dybala with discussions over a new deal yet to his a breakthrough.
Spurs have long missed a creative no.10 that can help lessen the burden on the likes of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, who are often left to do it all themselves up top.
Indeed, the pair scored 40 of their 68 league goals last season (58.8%) and it’s a similar story this season with the figure standing at 50%.
Players such as Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso have all struggled to step up since the Danish playmaker’s departure over two years ago. All three also departed the club on deadline day, so Conte doesn’t really have any options in the role.
Dybala can be the solution.
Amid previous links to the Juve star, Italian football expert Conor Clancy backed Spurs’ frontline to be unstoppable with the addition of the attacking maestro.
“I feel like he’d be unstoppable with Kane because he’s not a number nine, so he’s got to be playing alongside a striker like that,” he said to Football FanCast.
Meanwhile, Dybala has also received praise from teammates, past and present, especially a particularly glowing endorsement from ex-Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, who told The Athletic:
“I can just confirm that Dybala is an unbelievable player. He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking.”
Spurs new boy Dejan Kulusevski once claimed that the £45m-rated dynamo had a “magical left foot”, whilst Michel Platini likened him to Diego Maradona.
A career average of two dribbles and 1.6 key passes per game, via WhoScored, suggests that Dybala is more than capable of driving the ball into the final third before looking to provide that killer pass or attempt at goal.
If it’s only going to cost Tottenham in wages, then Paratici and co would be foolish to not try and finally bring Dybala to N17. He must be a top target in the summer as he could be the Eriksen-like figure that the Lilywhites desperately need.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops huge Harry Kane update at Spurs…