Paulo Dybala snubs Barcelona, readies new deal with Juventus

Juventus star Paulo Dybala is set to sign a new deal with the Serie A giants, despite reports linking him with a big summer move to Barcelona. The Argentine admitted he dreams of playing alongside Lionel Messi, but feels he can do that with his national team rather than at the Nou Camp.

The 22-year-old forward has been mentioned as a possible future Barcelona player since he rose to prominence with Palermo. However, Juventus beat the Catalan outfit in the summer of 2015, splashing out €32m (£28.2m, $35.9m) plus €8m in add-ons to fill the gap left by the departure of Carlos Tevez.

But speculation ceased to circulation, with Dybala having a stunning debut campaign with La Vecchia Signora. He scored 23 goals across all competitions, including 19 to lead Juventus to the scudetto.

Gustavo Mascardi Mascardi, founder of the prestigious Grupo Mascardi that represents the player, was quoted revealing that Barcelona had tabled a bid of €80m to lure him to the Nou Camp.

Mundo Deportivo reported at the time Barcelona had earmarked him as the top target to replace Neymar if the Brazilian were to leave the Nou Camp, amid links with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and even Real Madrid.

Neymar signed a new deal at Barcelona instead, but last month Mundo Deportivo claimed the Catalans are still closely monitoring the situation of the Argentine ahead of making him their next marquee signing.

Barcelona opted against making a big-money addition last summer, instead adding depth to their squad with the recruitment of Paco Alcacer, Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne, Denis Suarez and Jasper Cillesen. However, the Spanish publication suggested they may be keen to splash the cash on Dybala this summer, as they previously did to sign the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez.

However Dybala has now seemingly closed the door to such a move, after revealing that he is on the verge of committing his long-term future to Juventus with a new deal.

"I am close to renewing with Juventus," the 22-year-old said to La Gazzetta Dello Sport. "What the press say about Barcelona does not make any sense, especially because the window is closed. To play with Messi is a dream, which I can achieve [with Argentina]."