Barcelona have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Paulo Dybala after Juventus presented their talisman with the club’s iconic No.10 shirt for this season.
Dybala has emerged as a top transfer target for Barcelona in the wake of Neymar’s £193m departure to Paris Saint-Germain and has been tipped as the heir to Lionel Messi’s throne.
The Argentina international has spent the last two seasons with Juventus and is now the new incumbent of the fabled No.10 jersey, which was vacated by Paul Pogba 12 months ago when he returned to Manchester United.
“Worn by former football greats such as Omar Sivori, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero, now is the turn of Paulo Dybala to pull on Juventus’ famous number 10 jersey,” a statement read on the club’s official website.
The news all but confirms Dybala is off the market, at least for this season, as Max Allegri’s side continue to build on two Champions League finals in the last three years.
Only Kevin Strootman (14) made more accurate through balls in Serie A last season than the 23-year-old (10).
