Paulo Dybala's proposed deadline day move to Tottenham Hotspur fell through after the Lilywhites requested help from Juventus to pay for his image rights - which are owned by a third party - and the Bianconeri refused.
Dybala's move to north London had at a point early on Thursday looked to be close to completion, but Juventus have now pulled the plug on the deal after being asked for too much support to make the deal happen. They had already agreed to pay a portion of Dybala's salary demands prior to the image rights request.
90min understands that Spurs were themselves willing to fork out a similar weekly salary as what striker Harry Kane earns - it stands at around £200,000-a-week - though Dybala's demands to move surpassed that figure.
Dybala was understood to have been looking for in the region of £300,000-a-week to move to Tottenham - it is not known whether Spurs managed to talk the player down in discussions on personal terms - and that Juventus were willing to pay the difference to ensure the player was not out of pocket.
The image rights, however, have proven the dealbreaker. The rights are currently owned by Star Image Company, who are based in Malta, and were worth around £15m. They would have need to be bought out as part of the deal and Spurs' wish to not pay the full sum has proven the catalyst for the breakdown.
Spurs could have continued to push, but didn't believe Dybala's desire to move was great enough to go the extra mile. He has made no secret of his wish to stay in Turin in recent weeks, and the image rights were a key reason behind Manchester United's decision to move for the player last week.
Another twist and turnaround - given it's deadline day - cannot be totally put out of the question, but a deal is dead as it stands.
Tottenham had managed to convince Juventus to help them pay Paulo Dybala's wages.
— Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) August 8, 2019
They agreed to it - but Juventus withdrew after Spurs asked for help paying his image rights.
Spurs might've pushed harder but weren't totally convinced Dybala wanted to join.
Given that the Lilywhites have already spent £55.4m on Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele this summer - with the side set to pay a similar fee for Real Betis playmaker Giovani Lo Celso - the extra £15m would have put too much strain on their finances.
Lo Celso is undergoing a medical, while the futures of Ryan Sessegnon and current left back Danny Rose are up in the air.
Source : 90min