Paulo Dybala’s agent has denied speculations claiming that the player’s wage demands were the reason behind his failed move to Manchester United or Tottenham.
Jorge Antun, the agent of Paulo Dybala, has recently hit back at speculations that suggested that it was the player’s hefty wage demands that sabotaged his proposed move to England – as reported by The Sun. Earlier this summer, the Argentine was linked with a move to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
But, a move could not materialize, reportedly due to Dybala’s £350,000-a-week wage demands coupled with the agent’s request of a £13.7 million payment to buy the player’s image rights from a third party.
However, Antun has denied those claims. Speaking to Tuttosport (h/t The Sun), the agent said, “I did speak to the English club, but the stories about the commission were not true. There were simply issues between the two clubs”.
From a financial perspective, however, Antun’s comments seem rather futile and could barely be a desperate attempt to cover his own commission demands. Manchester United, in particular, were seemingly keen on securing the services of Dybala, with Juventus also willing to let go of their star forward.
But, the Red Devils had to pull the plug on the move, reportedly due to his wage demands. Dybala’s hefty £350,000-a-week salary would have made him one of the highest-paid players at Old Trafford. But, while financial shortcomings haven’t historically been a problem for the Premier League giants, it could have created unrest among players.
This especially applies to a United side, who are currently experiencing a transitional period. New manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already emphasized a lot on the development of young players and Dybala’s lucrative contract, in that regard, could have caused a massive distraction.
As for Tottenham Hotspur, they already have had a lot of problems regarding personal terms, even with their own set of players. Christian Eriksen’s future, in particular, still hangs in the balance while it was a surprise to see no clubs jumping in on Toby Alderweireld’s £25 million release clause earlier in the summer.
Dybala would have been the ideal replacement for Eriksen. But, it’s almost needless to point out that the Dane is considered as one of the best players in Europe while Dybala is coming on the back of his worst season at Juventus. To that end, offering a stunning £350,000-a-week to the Argentine would have made very little sense, especially when they could have easily offered the same amount of money to Eriksen.
In the meantime, Dybala has been identified as a potential Neymar replacement for Paris Saint-Germain. And with just a little under a week remaining till the transfer window slams shut, it will be interesting to see where the attacker ends up.
