Dybala debated Saudi Pro League move before settling on Roma stay

Paulo Dybala says he thought about taking the lucrative deal offered to him from the Saudi Pro League before ultimately deciding to stay at Roma.

The World Cup winner was being linked with a move to Al-Qadsiah, who reportedly offered him a three-year contract worth €75million.

However, Dybala chose to turn the offer down to stay in Italy and was part of the team that started their 2-1 defeat to Empoli in Serie A on Sunday.

“Everybody looks at the money, but I put many things on the table to come to my decision: my family, my wife, the city, the team, and my desire to return to the national team,” Dybala told Sky Italia.

“I’m 30 and feel good. I’ve seen a lot of criticism about the injuries, but I try to work hard every day to take care of myself and perform the best I can.”

Dybala has been a fan favourite at Roma since joining from Juventus in 2022 and has been an influential figure for the club.

He scored 16 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions last season, with only Romelu Lukaku bettering his tally (21 in 47 games).

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The Argentinian was also involved in more goals than any of his team-mates (26), having registered 10 assists, while he also led the way for chances created (61) and big chances created (15) among Roma players in 2023-24.

And Dybala admitted that while he is happy with his decision to stay in the Italian capital, he did debate taking the offer.

“Surely when you see that kind of figure… I can’t say I didn’t think about it, but I weighed a few aspects. It made no difference to my agent. It’s not true that he would have made a lot of money.

“The most important thing for him is my happiness. We’ve collaborated for a long time. I don’t know how the Arabs reacted as I didn’t speak with them directly.”