‘Fantasy football’: Juventus official pours cold water on transfer talk amid Salah links

Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici has cooled some of the transfer talk around the club, including that they are planning an audacious swap deal involving Paulo Dybala heading to Liverpool in exchange for Mohamed Salah.

Reports in recent days have suggested the Turin giants would be willing to see Argentine forward Dybala head to the Premier League to make way for the arrival of free-scoring Reds forward Salah.

Earlier speculation had also stated that Juve could make a sensational bid to prise prodigious youngster Kylian Mbappe from French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

But Juve director Paratici has poured cold water on that talk – for now at least.

“At this moment, it’s all fantasy football, it’s only February, so nobody knows what could happen in June,” the Bianconeri official told Radio Rai, as reported by Football Italia.

Juve have made one signing of note in recent weeks, collecting the signature of Arsenal attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer which will by some estimates see the player pocket $500,000 a week before tax.

Paratici hailed that deal, saying: “We are proud to have brought Aaron Ramsey to Juve, as he is a great signing.”

Transfer talk surrounding Juventus has heightened in recent months, not least after they brought Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo to the club from Real Madrid in a €100 million (US$117 million) deal over the summer.

Another reported target is unsettled Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi – and Paratici confirmed that the club had expressed concrete interest in the Argentine over the summer.

“I want to clarify that over the summer we were not trying to disturb Inter as such and there has been no contact lately for Icardi,” Paratici said.

Juve official Fabio Paratici. © La Presse / AFP / Marco Alpozzi

“The action we took was to inform them that if Icardi were to change club, Juve could well be interested. These are things that all clubs do with many players during the transfer sessions.”

Icardi has been surrounded by a scandal involving contract negotiations with the club which are being conducted through his wife and agent, Wanda Nara. Nara has also reportedly drawn anger over her criticism of the club.     

Icardi was last week stripped of the Inter captaincy, while his wife’s car was struck by a rock near the club’s San Siro stadium at the weekend, while she was traveling with one of her children.   

Paratici stressed that the club had not been in recent contact with Nara.

“I also wish to point out there has been no contact lately with Mrs Icardi. We are in February, Icardi is an Inter player and we have an important next few months coming up. Any questions on the player will only be relevant or not in June.”

Juve are currently gearing up for Wednesday’s Champions League last 16 first leg away at Atletico Madrid.

The Turin giants last won European club football’s top prize in 1996, and have since lost five finals. They are hoping the arrival of Ronaldo will arrest that trend, as he sits top of the Serie A scoring charts on 19 league goals this season.