Juventus are claimed to be lining up a new attempt to tie Paulo Dybala down to a new deal whilst lowering the agent fees included in the offer.

The Argentine remains a key member of the first-team squad, being amongst our best performers since joining the club.

The only issue with Dybala is his constant injury issues, but his commitment and ability is never in question. We have so far failed to get his signature on the dotted line despite reports of a verbal agreement some months ago.

CalcioMercato claims that the player’s agent is becoming the issue in negotiations, with CEO Maurizio Arrivabene’s comments back in December being brought back into the fore.

He said: “Some players are more attached to the agents than to the shirt,” which led many to believe the club were putting the blame on the player’s agent for holding back a deal.

With time ticking down, I’m not sure it’s the best time to be trying to play hard-ball, as we will be the big losers if this deal falls through and this turns sour.

Losing Dybala would be a huge blow for our first-team, and I have no doubt that he would cost a hefty amount to replace, money we supposedly do not have currently.

Are these negotiations worth the risk that we are taking?

Patrick