Marotta: Juve received no bid from Barca for Dybala

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta denied receiving a bid from Barcelona for Paulo Dybala as he ruled out selling the star forward.

Dybala has long been linked with Barcelona and speculation of a move to Camp Nou gathered pace before the transfer window closed – the Argentina international reportedly identified as a replacement for Neymar.

The 23-year-old remained at Italian champions Juve, though he refused to rule out a future switch to Barca to play alongside countryman Lionel Messi.

Dybala went up against Messi on Tuesday and suffered a 3-0 Champions League loss against Barca, not before Juve boss Marotta reiterated the club’s desire to keep hold of the former Palermo man.

“We did not receive any direct offer from Barcelona for Dybala, but above all we had absolutely no intention of selling him and were certain he’d wear the Juventus jersey,” Marotta told Mediaset Premium.

“We even gave him more responsibility with the number 10, a shirt that holds a great deal of importance in the tradition of Juventus.”

Dybala signed a new five-year contract in April, tying him to the Serie A giants until 2022.

Since then, Dybala has scored seven goals in all competitions this season – five of those coming in three league fixtures.