In a sensational turn of events, Paulo Dybala and Roma have decided to both reject the offer from Al-Qadsiah and he will remain at the Stadio Olimpico. ‘I’ll see you Sunday.’
The player had said his goodbyes at the Trigoria training ground today, both to fans, teammates and staff at the camp, with the full expectation that he would not return.
However, this evening multiple sources including Fabrizio Romano, Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia all claim that the negotiations were called off.
They have slightly different versions as to who pulled the plug, some saying it was Dybala who turned down the €75m salary over three years, others that Roma were unhappy at being paid only €3-4m plus bonuses for the star man.
Whatever the cause of the breakdown, both the player and Roma decided they would like to try to continue together for this season.
He had a €12m release clause in his contract that expired on July 31 and his current deal only runs to the end of the campaign, but there is an option to automatically extend by a year at the same salary once he makes his 14th competitive appearance.
The Argentina international announced it with a video on his Instagram, with a message that reads: “Thank you, Roma. I’ll see you on Sunday.”
Before the latest development, Dybala’s former agent had explained why the Argentine decided to leave Roma to ‘earn a load of money’ in Saudi Arabia with Al-Qadsiah and sees parallels with the way he left Juventus.
The Argentina international had hoped to begin this season as the focus point of their attack, but the arrival of Matias Soulé and Artem Dovbyk if anything made him a square peg in a round tactical hole.
He is now in the process of completing a €3-4m plus bonuses move to Al-Qadsiah, where the player is set to earn €75m over a three-year contract.
