Paulo Dybala was never on market but Gonzalo Higuain will leave, confirms Andrea Pirlo
Paulo Dybala was the 2019/20 Serie A's player of the year
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In his first press conference as Juventus manager, Andrea Pirlo has revealed that Paulo Dybala is a key part of the Old Lady’s team but striker Gonzalo Higuain will be leaving the club. The two forwards have been heavily linked with a move away, with interest from Europe’s biggest sides.
Despite winning the Serie A player of the year award for the extended 2019/20 season, reports indicated that Juventus were looking to sell Paulo Dybala this summer. The Argentine playmaker was heavily linked with a move to both Tottenham and Manchester United last summer but any deal fell apart, with both Premier League sides pulling out. That forced Dybala to stay at the club and he ended the season as one of the Italian top tier’s best players.
But the same cannot be said for Gonzalo Higuain as the Argentine struggled to make an impact with him scoring just eight goals in 32 Serie A appearances. That combined with Juventus’ fortunes in the Champions League has seen him placed in the window and new boss Andrea Pirlo confirmed the same. In his first press conference as Juventus manager, Pirlo revealed that Higuain would be leaving this summer but the same will not happen for Paulo Dybala. Pirlo admitted that Dybala is a key part of his project and will remain in Turin.
"He has never been on the market, it is you [the media] who make these rumours. For me, he is as important as the others. As soon as he returns [from the off-season] he will be part of the project," Pirlo told Juventus’ official website.
"I talked to Higuain. He is a person I admire very much. He had an important cycle here, he was a great player but in speaking with him we decided our roads must separate. He was a great champion but cycles end. He was sidelined but as a serious person we spoke to each other to make this decision,” he added.
