Roma set new meeting with Dybala & agents over contract renewal after Derby

Roma vice-president Ryan Friedkin has returned to the Italian capital to oversee contract negotiations with Paulo Dybala’s agent Carlos Novel, with the two parties set to intensify talks over a renewal in the coming days as the club’s Champions League fate hangs in the balance.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Novel arrived in Rome on Friday evening, will attend Sunday’s derby, and will then begin formal discussions over an extension.

The mood inside Trigoria is cautiously optimistic, with Dybala understood to have no desire to leave Roma, putting Boca Juniors and MLS interest firmly on the backburner.

The financial obstacle remains significant.

Dybala currently earns €8 million net per season, and Friedkin has instructed the club to reduce the wage bill substantially. The proposal on the table is a two-year extension at a heavily reduced base salary of between €2.5 and €3 million, supplemented by performance-related bonuses.

Gasperini has made clear he wants Dybala to stay, alongside Pellegrini and Celik, giving the renewal added sporting momentum.

Champions League qualification would significantly strengthen Roma’s hand in negotiations, both financially and in terms of the project they can offer the Argentine, who has asked his wife Oriana to delay any return to Argentina by at least another year.

Before contracts, though, comes the derby. Dybala has scored zero goals in five appearances in the fixture and is desperate to change that record on Sunday.