Fabio Paratici Provides Update on Paulo Dybala Contract Situation

Paulo Dybala is in talks with Juventus over extending his contract at the club, chief football officer Fabio Paratici has confirmed.

The Argentine forward had a resurgent 2019/20 season, scoring or assisting 31 goals in all competitions, but injuries have restricted him to a slow start to life under Andrea Pirlo this term. Despite this, he is viewed as a key figure going forward, and with his deal due to expire at the end of next season, Juve are keen to secure his long-term future.

"We're in talks to extend Paulo Dybala's contract," Paratici told Sky Sports. He wants to stay and we want to keep him. He's part of our future. We'll continue the negotiations to find an agreement.

"It has been a tricky period because we were locked in the hotel for two weeks due to the Covid scare and not allowed to meet anyone. But we'll continue the negotiations to find an agreement."

A new deal for Dybala won't exactly bridge the huge wage disparity between Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the squad, but would make him their second-highest earner. As things stand, he takes home €7.3m per year, and that would likely move into eight figures, ahead of Matthijs de Ligt (€8m). Ronaldo is in a different stratosphere, raking in €31m per year.

Dybala's return to the Juve side will be welcomed in the weeks ahead, as they have endured a stuttering start to their title defence. They've yet to lose in Serie A, but have drawn three of their five fixtures so far, including a 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona on Sunday, in what was Dybala's first start of the season.

They face Barcelona next up in the Champions League, before travelling to Spezia at the weekend, looking to put things right and reassert their domestic intentions.