Tottenham pull out of transfer race for Juventus ace Paulo Dybala 'due to one player'

TOTTENHAM will be looking to bolster their squad this summer.

Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2022 by Express.co.uk

Tottenham have reportedly pulled out of the transfer race for Juventus ace Paulo Dybala due to the performances of Dejan Kulusevski. Spurs signed Kulusevski from Juve on an initial 18-month loan at the end of January - and the Sweden international has been in scintillating form ever since.

After winning their first three Premier League games of the season, Spurs suffered a downturn in fortunes over the autumn and sacked Nuno Espirito Santo as Antonio Conte was appointed boss in November. Conte, who won the Premier League title as Chelsea boss in 2017, has helped Spurs put themselves in pole position to secure a top-four finish.

And his endeavours to lead the north Londoners to Champions League qualification were boosted earlier this year when Kulusevski put pen-to-paper on a deal. The winger signed for the club on the same day that his Juventus team-mate Rodrigo Bentancur moved to Spurs on a permanent basis.

Kulusevski has lit up the Premier League since touching down in England and has racked up three goals and six assists in his 12 Premier League games for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham look set to delve into the transfer market once again this summer to boost their team further ahead of next season. But, according to TuttoMercatoWeb, they will no longer go after Dybala due to the displays of Kulusevski, who now looks set to sign for Spurs permanently in a £25million move at the end of his loan.

Dybala is expected to depart Turin this summer when his contract comes to an end - and he has been tipped to head to the Premier League. But Conte’s side could instead turn their attentions elsewhere after they had appeared to be in a battle with Arsenal to secure his signature.

Manchester United are the latest team to show an interest in Dybala, with incoming boss Erik ten Hag reportedly ordering the club to snap him up. So the 28-year-old could still be heading to England.

United and Spurs are currently vying to secure a top-four Premier League finish and book their place in next season’s Champions League. The Lilywhites moved six points clear of United in the table 10 days ago - but the Red Devils cut their deficit in half after they beat Norwich and Spurs lost to Brighton on Saturday.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are also three points behind Spurs in the table and benefit from a game in hand. But the three challengers have been dropping points at will. So the race for a top-four finish looks set to go right down to the wire.