Roma onboarded Paulo Dybala in what seemed like a quick turn of events only days after submitting a first and only €6M net per season offer. With a host of clubs – including Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal – hot on his trail this summer, it looked almost written on paper that the Argentine playmaker would join Inter.
However, after days of no contact between the two parties, José Mourinho – who has always admired the forward – persuaded the Giallorossi to aim aggressively for his signature.
Sky transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio, who broke the news of Roma signing Dybala, has revealed on the microphones of Radio 24 (via MilanNews) why Milan, Napoli and Inter all fell behind in the transfer race.
“Mourinho always has an important weight when he calls players, but it was also the result o the work of Tiago Pinto and the Friedkin brothers, the Roma owners, who spoke with Dybala and convinced him to question himself.”
The journalist then disclosed why the Rossoneri didn’t make advances for Dybala – citing Club Brugge playmaker Charles De Ketelaere as the main reason, thus never seriously entering the race. Napoli struggled with figuring out the ex-Juventus man’s image rights, whereas Inter slowed down their pursuit after re-signing Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku on loan. It is also understood that the Nerazzurri faced shortcomings with regard to cutting down their large squad, mainly failing to offload veteran striker Alexis Sanchez.