ANALYTICAL: CAN BOCA AFFORD PAULO DYBALA’S WAGES AFTER ROMA CONTRACT EXPIRES
Boca Juniors director Marcelo Delgado confirmed the club's "dream" is to sign Roma star Paulo Dybala. His expiring contract and friend Leandro Paredes are key factors in the pursuit.
Boca Juniors has made it clear they're very interested in signing Roma's Paulo Dybala, and fans in Argentina are going wild. Marcelo Delgado, a club director, said that getting Dybala would be a dream come true but insisted they're ready to put in the work to get the World Cup winner.
Boca Juniors Really Wants Dybala
The idea of Dybala trading Rome for Boca's stadium has been a long-time rumour in South American soccer. Now, Boca Juniors is openly talking about wanting him. Delgado, who's on the club's Football Council, has said they want to sign Dybala.
When asked about transfer targets, Delgado didn't shy away from the Dybala topic.
“Dybala? It's a bit of a dream; maybe it can happen, maybe not,” Delgado said. “We're going to try our best to bring him here, no matter what. His contract ends in June 2026. We'll watch the situation and see what happens.”
Contract Might Help
Dybala has about six months left on his contract with Roma. This means he can start talking to other clubs in January and possibly move for free at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Even though Dybala is important in Serie A, he hasn't signed a new contract. This has people thinking he might leave Europe soon. Boca Juniors, led by their president, Juan Roman Riquelme, often goes after experienced players who want to return to South America. They signed Edinson Cavani before, which shows they can attract big stars. They see Dybala as the next big signing to make the club better. Still, paying Dybala's wages could be hard since European salaries are much higher than in Argentina. He might have to take a pay cut.
Leandro Paredes Could Help
Boca has a better chance of getting Dybala because his close friend, Leandro Paredes, already plays there. Paredes came back to Boca Juniors in July after using a special part of his Roma contract. He promised to return to the club while he was still playing well. Paredes is now a key player for Boca, and he also influences things off the field.
Paredes and Dybala are close friends from their time in Italy and with the national team. People in Buenos Aires know that Paredes is helping Boca get Dybala. Paredes has said he keeps telling Dybala to join Boca, even joking that he told his daughter that Uncle Paulo might come with them.
What's Next?
Dybala is still playing for Roma right now. But Delgado's words have put pressure on the Italian club. Boca Juniors has shown that they're serious about signing him.
The situation will be clearer in January. If Roma doesn't get Dybala to sign a new contract before then, Boca might make a real offer.
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
_1777371632.webp)
