Daniele De Rossi did not confirm or deny that Paulo Dybala is considering a Roma exit for Al Quadsiah, but assured he ‘told the club and Paulo what I think’ about the situation.
Their season begins on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) away to Cagliari.
The Giallorossi fanbase has been shaken by the news that Dybala is in negotiations for a transfer to the Saudi Pro League, with rumours the club is eager to get La Joya off the books because of his salary.
So when the coach sat down to answer questions from the gathered media in a press conference, they were almost all about the Argentina international and what this means for their ambitions this season.
De Rossi pressed on Dybala situation
“I am a Roma fan, I always will be, but I cannot have that role now. I have to deal with delicate matters in a careful fashion. When it is just rumours, a coach cannot comment on that, or negotiations or chats. I was not part of the discussions and have an important game tomorrow, so I cannot get into that,” said De Rossi.
“Maybe Paulo will talk at some point and say what happened over the last few days. As a coach, I told the club and I told Paulo what I think. He was a great player yesterday, he hasn’t stopped being a great player. I always speak face-to-face with my players, but I cannot do more than that.
“Nobody is more important than Roma, that is crucial. Nothing and nobody is more important than Roma, I just want a strong squad. A strong squad and good results, that’s it. If someone wants to make it look like I am after anything else, they are going down the wrong path.
“The day I leave Roma, I want us to be higher up the table than when I arrived.”
The coach did confirm that Dybala is in the squad for the trip to Cagliari.
De Rossi was repeatedly asked about the Dybala situation and again left the door open to many different alternatives.
“It is not that I am not talking about this because it is a taboo. It is simply rumours, and maybe something more than rumours, but we’ll talk if and when it gets concluded,” concluded De Rossi.
If Dybala does leave in a deal worth a reported €15m, then Roma could try to pursue Juventus outcast Federico Chiesa instead.
If Roma play the way they played against Everton, well I have no words, better I shut up. 😤