Paulo Dybala stepped up to the Sky Italia microphone on Monday evening, after Roma's wild 3-2 comeback against Parma, and said two things. The first sent a shiver through Roma's fanbase. The second set the whole of Argentina talking.

"The contract says the derby will probably be my last match in front of the Roma fans."

"Has the club contacted me? No."

That "no" was enough. Within 24 hours, Dybala's future had become the hottest story on the transfer market. And the next day — Scaloni left him out of the 55-man preliminary World Cup squad.

Roma didn't call. Scaloni didn't call either. Fourteen years in Italy — and now one question hanging in the air: where does La Joya go from here?

THE SKY ITALIA INTERVIEW — WHAT HE SAID AND WHAT HE DIDN'T

On May 10, at Parma's Stadio Ennio Tardini, Roma pulled off one of those classic Roma finishes. They were losing 2-1. Donyell Malen stuck away a penalty in the 101st minute. 3-2. Roma stayed alive in the Champions League race — level on points with AC Milan in fourth.

After the final whistle, Dybala — who'd set up one of the goals — walked over to the cameras. But he didn't talk about the match.

"The truth is, I'd like to know something myself. The contract says the derby will probably be my last match in front of the Roma fans. I still haven't made a final decision, but that's what the contract says."

The journalist asked the obvious — has the club reached out about a new deal?

"No."

One word. And inside it — Roma's silence, Dybala's frustration, and the closing chapter of a career that's spanned 14 years in Italian football.

His contract runs out on June 30. Two matches left — the Lazio derby at home (his last in front of the Roma faithful) and Hellas Verona away to close the season. If the Friedkins don't move, he's a free agent in July.

138 appearances. 45 goals. 25 assists. At the club since July 2022 — brought in by José Mourinho. A fan favourite. And now — "nobody called me."

Here's the part that really stings. Back in the summer of 2024, Saudi club Al-Qadsiah came in with a monster offer — reportedly €25m a year. Dybala turned it down. He chose to stay in Rome. Two years later, the club won't even pick up the phone.

In football, that hurts more than any injury.

SCALONI'S DECISION — THE WORLD CUP DOOR SHUT

The next day, May 11, the second punch landed.

Scaloni published his 55-man preliminary squad for the World Cup. Fifty-five names. Dybala wasn't on it.

Stop and think about that. A 2022 World Cup winner. The man who buried his penalty in the shootout against France at Lusail. 40 caps, four goals. And he can't even get on a list of 55.

The reasoning makes sense on paper — a brutal season. Twenty-five matches out of 36. A hamstring injury. Meniscus surgery on his left knee on February 5 — nearly three months on the sidelines. In 2026, he's only finished a full 90 minutes twice. He came back against Bologna on April 25 — for 13 minutes off the bench.

Scaloni went with the kids instead. Garnacho at Chelsea. Mastantuono at Real Madrid. Nico Paz at Como. Matías Soulé at Roma — Dybala's own teammate. Echeverri at Girona. Those are the attacking spots now.

And the Soulé detail stings the most. They share a dressing room at Trigoria every single day. Soulé made the cut. Dybala didn't. Same club, same training ground, two completely different paths.

THE TWIST NOBODY SAW COMING — DYBALA READY TO TAKE A PAY CUT?

Now here's where the story takes a turn.

On the same Monday — almost at the same time as the Sky Italia interview — Italian journalist Nicolò Schira dropped a bomb going in the opposite direction: "Dybala has opened the door to a significant salary reduction to stay at Roma for one more season. He's waiting for a final decision from the Friedkins, though he still hasn't received an official offer. Gasperini wants to keep him."

So — La Joya wants to stay. Badly enough to take less money. Gian Piero Gasperini, the manager, is pushing for it. The ball is now on the Friedkins' side of the pitch.

This changes everything. If Roma come back with an offer — even at a reduced salary — Boca are left watching from the outside. But if the Italians stay silent? That's when La Bombonera starts getting loud.

BOCA — A DREAM THAT STARTED WITH A PROMISE

And speaking of La Bombonera. One name has been bouncing around the Dybala family dinner table for months — Boca Juniors.

On April 29, ESPN journalist Leo Paradizo dropped it on SportsCenter: "There's a preliminary agreement, there's a contract, and after the World Cup, Paulo Dybala returns to Argentine football to wear the Boca shirt."

The very next day, Schira shot it down from Italy: "Dybala hasn't decided his future yet. There's no agreement with Boca." Il Corriere dello Sport backed that up — the player's camp denied any deal too.

One source says yes. Two say no. The story is more alive than ever. But Boca's interest? That's real. According to Facundo Pérez on D Sports Radio, Juan Román Riquelme already has a contract drawn up. Money set aside. Structure in place. All that's missing is the yes from the man himself.

Leandro Paredes — Boca's captain — is the perfect accomplice in this story. One of Dybala's closest friends, a national-team brother. Paredes' wife Camila Galante is best friends with Dybala's wife Oriana Sabatini. Dybala himself said it recently: "Camila and Leandro keep texting us about it. A couple of days ago someone posted a picture of me in a Boca shirt and they all cracked up."

That picture was AI-generated. Someone threw it into the family group chat. Everyone had a good laugh. "It would be nice," Dybala said. But behind the laugh — there's always a hint of something real.

And then there's the detail that hits you right in the chest. Catherine Fulop — Dybala's mother-in-law, Venezuelan-Argentine actress, Oriana's mother — said this on TyC Sports' Urbana Play show two weeks ago:

"He loves Roma, loves the club, and I think Roma loves him too. That would be his first choice. But he also has a dream to fulfil for his father — to play for Boca. Especially because of his dad, who planted that dream in him."

A promise to his old man. A debt he's been carrying since he was a kid. Dybala's father, who's no longer here, raised him as a Boca fan. Paulo never forgot.

And for a bit of comic relief — Ova Sabatini, Dybala's father-in-law, is a die-hard River Plate fan. "Ova cries over River, he never misses a match," Fulop said in the same interview. Imagine the family barbecues if Paulo shows up in blue and gold.

Behind all of it — the most tender detail. Gia, Paulo and Oriana's first daughter, was born on March 2 at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Two months old. A baby girl who might be about to change continents.

A father's promise. A best friend waiting with the captain's armband. A wife who said "I'm with you." A newborn daughter. Roma's silence. Scaloni's "no." And a future being written in a hurry.

FOURTEEN YEARS IN ITALY — THE BOOK OPEN ON ITS LAST PAGE

Dybala left Argentina for Palermo at 18 — back in 2012. Then came Juventus, where he became a star. Then Roma, where he became an idol. He's 32 now. Not the boy wonder everyone was waiting for. He's a fully formed footballer, a father, a man with 14 years of Italian life behind him.

One last derby against Lazio at home. One final trip to Verona. And from July — a free agent. Three roads open at the same time.

One leads back to the Olimpico, if the Friedkins react and accept the pay cut. Another leads to La Bombonera, with Paredes waiting. And a third — there's always a third in football — could appear out of nowhere at any moment.

Everything seems to point in one direction. But "no" and "it would be nice" still aren't a "yes."

The last page of Paulo Dybala's book is being written right now. Nobody knows which club finishes the chapter. But that one word — "no" — was enough to get the whole of Argentina watching.

Roma stay quiet. Scaloni shut the door. Boca wait. And La Bombonera is already humming.