The shocking offer that a powerful Arab club made to Paulo Dybala

Paulo Dybala is one step away from moving to Saudi Arabia (REUTERS/Alberto Lingria)

Al Qadsiah, a Saudi Arabian team that has already secured two former Boca players in Nahitan Nandez and Equi Fernández, is playing hard in this market: it is one step away from signing Paulo Dybala. The Argentine was authorized by Roma to negotiate his contract with the Saudi entity that will compete for the first time in the top division of its country. The release clause of La Joya amounted to 12 million euros, but expired in July.

While the directors of both clubs are discussing how much the transfer could cost (the Cordoba native has a market value of 20 million euros according to the specialist website Transfermarket), Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that the Saudis offered him a three-year contract and assured that they are polishing the final details to define the agreement.

It is worth mentioning that Al Qadsiah’s coach is the Spaniard Míchel González, a historic former footballer for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, and has already hired other international stars such as the Spaniard Nacho, former captain of the merengue team, and the Gabonese former Arsenal player from England Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.

Dybala is under contract in the Italian capital until mid-2025 and his contract, according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, amounts to almost 4 million euros per season. “If Dybala were to play at least 14 games of 45 minutes each, his contract should reach 7 million euros net, bonuses included, next season,” the journalist said.

Dybala is an idol at Roma, but he is reportedly moving to Saudi Arabia (REUTERS/Ciro De Luca)

It was for this reason that the man who emerged from Instituto de Córdoba, who was crowned world champion in Qatar 2022 and was not considered by Lionel Scaloni for the 2024 Copa América in the United States, rejected a few weeks ago a proposal from the Arabs of 20 million dollars (plus bonuses for objectives) per year.

In Italy, it was confirmed that Dybala understood that he will not be at the centre of coach Daniele De Rossi’s project and began to look favourably on the offer coming from the Middle East. Although nothing is finalised, because the market will be open in Europe and several other countries until the end of August, there have been notable advances and it seems that the 30-year-old striker could once again seek glory in a place on the planet where he was happy with the National Team in December 2022.

Dybala, who was linked with Chelsea in England a couple of months ago, has been getting minutes in pre-season friendlies with the Wolf: he scored goals against Roma and Barnsley, while he also played against Toulouse, Olympiakos and Everton. The Romans’ debut in Serie A will be this Saturday when they visit Cagliari. For their part, Al Qadsiah will face the first match of the Saudi Professional League season on Friday, August 23, at home to Al Fateh.

Equi Fernández, one of the signings of the Arab club that is after Dybala

Al Qadsiah FC was founded in 1967 and its team is based in the city of Al Khobar. Over the years, it competed in various divisions of Saudi football, sometimes achieving good results at both national and regional levels. The club is known for having a loyal fan base and has contributed to the development of football in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Among its achievements, there are some victories in domestic competitions and its notable participation in the Saudi Professional League in different seasons. The Knights of the East are fresh from promotion and have four titles in their cabinets.

If his multi-million-dollar contract with the Arab club is finalised, Dybala will have no problem paying the expenses of his recent wedding party.