Paulo Dybala Remains Loyal to Roma, Rejects Move to Al Qadsiah

Argentine superstar Paulo Dybala has rejected a reported salary of 75-million euros from Al Qadsiah in order to stay with Roma. Dybala’s shocking U-turn has caught many Roma fans by surprise.

For the last few days, rumours had started to swirl that Paulo Dybala’s move to newly promoted Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah was practically a done deal. Roma fans even showed up at the club’s training facilities to say their goodbyes. But in a surprising twist, it seems Dybala has had a change of heart. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio dropped a bombshell, revealing that Dybala turned down the Saudi club’s offer because of the overwhelming love and support shown by Roma fans. 

Paulo Dybala announced his decision to stay via his official Instagram account. He wrote, “Thank you Rome...See you on Sunday." Following Dybala’s official announcement, Roma fans arrived in droves in front of his house to celebrate the news. In fact, videos even showed Dybala acknowledging fans’ support, while his partner celebrated with Giallorossi fans. According to some reports in Italy, Dybala’s partner, Oriana Sabatini, and his mother, Alicia, played an important role in Argentine’s decision to stay with the Giallorossi. Dybala’s decision came during a time of considerable uncertainty about his future. He trained away from the Roma first team last Thursday and wasn’t included in the starting lineup for their Serie A opener against Cagliari on Sunday. 

Despite announcing his decision to stay, Dybala’s future with Roma is still uncertain. He is currently in the last year of his contract with Roma. However, Roma inserted a clause in his contract, which would automatically trigger an extension if Dybala plays more than 15 games this season. He will reportedly earn 7.5 million euros plus 2-million euros in add-ons and bonuses. Dybala has donned the famous red of Giallorossi 78 times since arriving from Juventus in 2022. In those appearances, the diminutive Argentine has racked up 34 goals and 18 assists, establishing himself as a key player for both Jose Mourinho and current Roma boss, Daniele Di Rossi. 

As for Al Qadsiah, the newly promoted Saudi Arabian side has already recruited top tier talents like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nacho Fernandez. Besides Aubameyang and Nacho, Al Qadsiah have also added players like Keon Casteels, Ezequiel Fernandez, Nahitan Nandez and Gaston Alvarez from some top European clubs. Al Qadsiah takes on Al Fateh in their first game of the 2024/25 Saudi Pro League. 

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