Tottenham Hotspur suffer transfer blow for Juventus striker Paulo Dybala as his preference is revealed

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Express), Juventus ace Paulo Dybala has a transfer preference in mind if he were to exit the Italian side this summer, handing Tottenham Hotspur a blow in their hopes of signing him.

The Argentine is out of contract at the end of the season, meaning he is available for free when the summer transfer window opens. Into the last few months of his current deal at Juve, he is free to talk to foreign clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement with them ahead of the new campaign.

With the player making up his mind not to sign a new deal with Juve in the coming months, he is in high demand in the transfer market given his dazzling displays for club and country over the past few seasons, with Spurs also keen on his signature at the end of the season.

Tottenham currently only have Harry Kane as their lone striker to rely on for the goals, which is massive pressure on the Englishman to deliver. Furthermore, the club is one Kane injury away from losing a big chunk of their goal supply, which could prove disastrous in their ambitions of winning silverware.

Spanish preference for Dybala

However, the Lilywhites are set to receive a transfer blow in their pursuit of Dybala as the Argentina international is set to prefer a move to Atletico Madrid in the summer, with the La Liga champions being his ideal first option for a transfer away from Turin.

With manager Diego Simeone using a ‘second striker’ in his system at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Dybala is keen on making the position his own in Spain – a role that brought him much success at Juventus. Traditionally, this position entails much of the creative work for the frontline without a lot of defensive responsibility once the ball is lost.

Once the main man in Turin, the 28-year-old has fallen down the pecking order in recent years. The arrival of Alvaro Morata and Dusan Vlahovic has seen the Bianconeri change their tactics to accommodate the attacking duo, seeing Dybala lose his spot. And for good reason, because the two strikers are barely giving any reason for the manager to drop them.

In the prime of his playing career and with the possibility of snapping him up for free in the summer, any club looking to sign the ex-Palermo man will be handed a blockbuster deal if they manage to sign him. Those who have followed his career know he is a gem of a creative playmaker and has a deadly left foot.

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Back in 2019, Spurs were close to a transfer for Dybala, but the deal fell through after a hitch over his image rights. With the Premier League side lacking a second striker and manager Antonio Conte keen on adding reinforcements to his squad to compete for titles next season, the Argentine star would have been a great signing for the club.

In good news for Tottenham, there has been nothing concrete between Atletico and Dybala yet given the lack of official confirmation from any of the parties involved, so there still remains the hope of signing the player in the summer. Hopefully, they manage to overcome the disappointment of 2019 and ensure they finally snap up the striker in 2022.