Manchester United End Paulo Dybala Pursuit Over Attacker's Massive Contract Demands
Paulo Dybala is due to restart training with Juventus on Monday morning after a deal to take him to Manchester United appears to have fallen through over contract demands.
United fans' pulses were set racing by reports that the highly rated Argentine was set to be included in a sensational part-exchange deal which would see him (and possibly Mario Mandzukic) make the move to Old Trafford with Romelu Lukaku joining the Old Lady.
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However, as reported by The Telegraph, Dybala made a series of demands which included a €15m fee for his agent and a €12m annual salary, putting him on a par with the club's top earners.
These demands were deemed too excessive by the United board, who have now decided to pull the plug on the potential deal. According to the report, they saw the attacker's demands as a clear sign that he was reluctant on a move to the Premier League and were not willing to take a risk by signing him.
Throughout the talks over the last few days, Dybala has been rumoured to be reluctant about moving to England.
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A huge part of Solskjaer's transfer policy has been to recruit players who want to play for the Red Devils and who understand the size of the club they are joining - despite the club's recent troubles.
The Norwegian is suspected to have played some part in turning down this opportunity.
This all but ends Lukaku's hopes of exiting Old Trafford, despite being linked with a move to Serie A throughout the summer. Initially, Inter looked like his most likely destination, until Juve attempted to hijack the deal.
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Now a move to the Allianz Stadium looks to be dead in the water, the Nerazzurri are considering another pursuit for the Belgian striker, who remains increasingly unsettled at the Manchester club.
However, Solskjaer is understood to be satisfied with his options in the striking department, even if Lukaku does depart, as he has been encouraged by the performances of his young players in pre-season, particularly those of 17-year-old Mason Greenwood.
