Check out Reasons why Juventus might be right to let Dybala go…..

The Bianconeri revealed on Monday that the Argentine’s contract will not be renewed, and it is a decision that makes financial and sporting sense

When Paulo Dybala’s imminent Juventus exit was confirmed on Monday, his brother Gustavo took to social media to post a solitary word: “Unbelievable.”

This parting of the ways had been coming. The more this particular transfer saga dragged on, the more likely it was to end in Dybala’s departure.

Granted, many Bianconeri fans were still left in a state of shock by the news that one of their favourite players, a man who truly loved plying his trade in Turin, will leave when his current contract expires this summer.

They had hoped to see him finish his top-flight career at Juve, but that was very much a case of the heart ruling the head.

But Juve came to realise that it was an agreement that made no sense, neither from a business nor a sporting perspective.

Indeed, when it emerged that the Bianconeri were willing to give the Argentina international a new, five-year deal worth €10 million (€8m plus €2m in bonuses) per annum, there was widespread disbelief.

It was a colossal amount of cash for an injury-prone 28-year-old, particularly in the current economic climate.

Dybala fans were optimistic that a historic €400m (£335m/$450m) capital investment from Juve’s parent company, EXOR, in December might make it easier to justify such an outlay.

EXOR’s intervention was needed to both balance the books and make a significant investment in an unbalanced and underperforming squad.

With Fiorentina desperate to cash in on wantaway striker Dusan Vlahovic, Juve were presented with a perfect opportunity to sign a potential generational talent that could spearhead their attack for the rest of the decade.

There is no guarantee, of course, that Vlahovic will continue to score as freely in Turin as he did in Florence, but then there was no guarantee either that Dybala’s muscular issues would suddenly go away.

Juve looked at Vlahovic and saw a bright future. By contrast, when they looked at Dybala, they just could not see past his injury woes.

Ultimately, spending €75m (£63m/$85m) on the kind of prolific No.9 the team was crying out for made far more sense than committing €92.5m (£79m/$104m) in gross wages to keeping player that has rarely proven a perfect tactical fit in Turin.

The Dybala renewal money can now be invested in a younger, fitter replacement, or the team’s long-term problem position: midfield.

As Maurizio Arrivabene told Sky Sport Italia, “With the arrival of Vlahovic, the technical aspect, the team, the project changed….

“Nobody questioned Paulo’s technical value, but there were considerations that had to be made on the length of the contract, and other economic factors…

“The decision has been taken, we thought about it a lot but I want to underline one thing: the Juve board does not take decisions against Juventus, but for Juventus.”

Indeed, according to the Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica, Juve director Federico Cherubini told the striker’s agent, Jorge Antun, after Monday’s two-hour meeting, “It’s pointless to see each other again. We don’t have any interest in keeping him.” Under any circumstance, essentially.

Arrivabene pointed out, “Paulo’s position was no longer central to the project,” so they did not even consider keeping him on his old terms (€7m a season); they just withdrew the offer completely.

It may have come across cold, particularly in relation to someone who has served Juve well over the past seven years, but it was undeniably the right call from a man nicknamed ‘Iron Mau’.

Juve are certainly losing a quality player. Nobody has scored more Serie A goals (eight) or racked up more assists (five) for the Bianconeri this season, which is impressive given has only featured in 21 games.

But those are hardly impressive numbers in the grand scheme of things, and that appearance tally is the most significant statistic anyway, as it is a reflection of his incessant fitness problems, with Dybala having been sidelined on five separate occasions in 2021-22 with muscular issues.

The Juve-Dybala divorce has been confirmed, yet they have to stay together for another two months.

There will also be some recriminations over how the confirmation of his exit has been handled.

However, while the idea of a Juve without Dybala may still seem unbelievable to some supporters, the harsh reality is that it is the right time to say goodbye.