“Paulo is a 25-goal player, he takes free kicks, he’s an added value. I left him as a boy, and now I found him a man.”

If anyone had doubts about Paulo Dybala’s massive importance for Max Allegri’s plans this season, then the words of the returning manager should be enough to lift it.

The Argentine is tipped to spearhead Juve’s attacking trident this season, acting somewhat as a false 9 between Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Chiesa – at least when Alvaro Morata isn’t on the pitch.

Nonetheless, La Joya’s expiring contract is still a topic of concern for the Bianconeri faithful, and the management are hoping to reach a happy ending sooner rather than later.

According to JuveNews, Dybala’s agent, Jorge Antun, is set for a fourth round of negotiation with the club’s hierarchy next week.

The previous meetings between the two parties – conducted in the last few weeks – saw a progress, but some issues remain unsolved.

However, the fourth round could become Juve’s lucky charm this summer, as it was in fact the breakthrough round in the lengthy negotiations between the Bianconeri and Sassuolo in the Manuel Locatelli transfer saga – which was completed earlier this week.

The report believes that the upcoming meeting between Juventus and the Argentine’s representative could in fact be the decisive one, as the two parties could finally agree on a contract renewal.

The former Palermo star could earn 9 million euros per plus bonuses in a deal that would run until the summer of 2025.