Paulo Dybala's fine performances for Roma are good news for Argentina with the 2022 World Cup on the horizon, according to Jose Mourinho.

Two goals from Dybala against Monza on Tuesday – his first for Roma – fired the Giallorossi to the top of the Serie A table with a 3-0 win.

The forward, signed from Juventus in this transfer window, had not scored more than once in a Serie A match since April 2018.

But this brace took Dybala to 100 goals in the competition for his career; he is only the eighth player since 2004-05 to pass 100 goals and 50 assists.

Roma coach Mourinho is working to ensure Dybala remains in top condition, having started all four matches so far this season but been substituted in each of them.

Dybala never started 30 league games in a single season for Juve, too often beset by injury problems that also impacted his international career.

In this form, Dybala will have a key role for Argentina in Qatar in November, so Mourinho is expecting gratitude from Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni.

"In the other games, he couldn't quite pull off the things he wanted to at times, but he never showed the wrong attitude," Mourinho said of Dybala after the Monza game. "Great.

"For me, there can be times when a talented player helps his side but he's also a bit isolated from it.

"But with us, Paulo is a great talent who also plays for and with the team. Right now, when it comes to the defensive side of the game, he's doing a great job for us – and that's not something that he was born to do.

"When he came off today, he said to me: 'Boss, if I carried on I would have got my third.' I told him: 'Get it against Udinese instead!'

"It's important to manage him a bit, because he has had a bit of bad luck with injuries in the past and he did not play a huge amount last season. Right now, his levels are improving.

"For us, he’s great, and I can already see what is going to happen in Qatar. Maybe the Argentina coach should offer us a bottle of wine."

Dybala has scored only three goals in 34 caps for Argentina; he has started just one match at a major tournament and was restricted to 77 minutes in 2022 World Cup qualifying.

Jose Mourinho backed Paulo Dybala to make an impact when he returns to Juventus as a Roma player on Saturday, as he praised the Argentina forward's contribution since joining the Giallorossi.

Roma have recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Salernitana and Cremonese to start the Serie A season, and Saturday's clash in Turin represents a real test of both sides' Scudetto credentials.

The Giallorossi's acquisition of Dybala, who left Juventus upon the expiration of his contract in July, was regarded as something as a coup after he scored 82 league goals during a seven-year spell in Turin.

That haul places Dybala 10th in Juventus' all-time Serie A goalscoring charts, making him the highest-scoring non-European player in their league history and their fourth-most prolific non-Italian (after John Hansen, David Trezeguet and John Charles).

Asked how Dybala will handle the prospect of returning to his former club, Mourinho said: "It depends on the personality of the individual. For some players coming home is nothing, for others it is difficult. For others it is 50-50. 

"For Paulo I don't know, he has the face of a child but he is not. He has a lot of experience, then the control of his emotions depends on him. 

"From how he worked these days I have not seen anything different. I expect a normal game, maybe with a little more emotion than before."

Asked about Dybala's impact since his arrival, Mourinho added: "For me it is very good. I did not expect more at the moment. In the last two years he has had little continuity. He did not start the pre-season like the others, he arrived late. 

"At the [Stadio] Olimpico playing on that surface is really hard, it's like running on a Portuguese beach! I see him well and with good character."

Juventus have won 85 of their 176 Serie A matches against Roma, recording more league victories over the Giallorossi than against any other club, and triumphed 4-3 when the sides last met at the Stadio Olimpico in January.

But Mourinho called for his team to put past meetings behind them, as he declared Roma would not be satisfied with a draw at the Allianz Stadium.

"Playing against a top team is nice, but it is nothing special compared to usual. I have played many times in Turin, tomorrow will be one more. There is no connection with the past," he added.

"First of all, we have to think that every match is an isolated match. This Juve-Roma has nothing to do with the next or the last one. 

"What happened in the past shouldn't affect us. We can prepare the team as best we can, but we always do it. It's not that we do it more with Juve than we did with Cremonese.

"Last year in Turin [a 1-0 defeat in October 2021] we played to win, we played well. Regardless of what happened, I was happy with the attitude, not the result. 

"I expect the same attitude. Roma must try to win. We are not going to play for a draw, we want to win tomorrow. We will go there to win, if we lose then we will lose."

Mourinho has lost his last two matches against Juventus; throughout his entire managerial career, he has only recorded more than two consecutive defeats against a single opponent on one occasion, losing four successive games against Liverpool in the Premier League as Chelsea boss.

Nemanja Matic, not Paulo Dybala, is the signing that will provide the biggest boost to a Roma side who should be looking to push Inter for the Serie A title this season, according to former Giallorossi boss Fabio Capello.

While Roma's sixth-placed finish in Italy's top flight last term was nothing out of the ordinary, Jose Mourinho did lead the club to success in the inaugural Europa Conference League.

Overall, the season provided a solid foundation for Mourinho and Roma to build on, and they have enjoyed a promising transfer window as they prepare for the new campaign.

Georginio Wijnaldum, Mile Svilar and Zeki Celik all add depth to the squad, while Paulo Dybala arrived on a free transfer after his Juventus contract expired – the Argentinian's signing galvanised the fanbase and has been seen as a real statement of intent for the season to come.

Yet while Dybala may have attracted most of the focus, Capello – who spent time at Roma as a player and coach – thinks Matic may be an even shrewder acquisition after the experienced Serbian joined on a free from Manchester United to work under Mourinho for the third time.

Asked if he liked the signing of Dybala for Roma, Capello told Il Mattino: "Sure, who doesn't like him?

"But Mourinho's real shot is there in the middle, and it's Matic. He's impressive, few know how to dam the middle of the field like he does.

"Obviously Roma cannot hide [not play proactively], but I don't think, given the enthusiasm, that they think of doing that."

Roma have not won the Scudetto since the 2000-01 season, which was their first title success in 18 years.

Capello is not getting carried away and suggesting they are the frontrunners, but he does expect it to be the Giallorossi and Milan presenting the biggest challenge to Inter.

"It will be fun. I see a very balanced Serie A, a bit like last year, although the balances may still change based on market operations this month," he continued. "But, for example, Roma is there [as a challenger], with intelligent operations.

"Inter are always a step ahead. Roma and Milan are the ones that seem to me already complete, and that's a plus.

"Juventus live with [Paul] Pogba's injury and there is a risk that he could play with the handbrake pulled due to the injury, fearing he could miss the World Cup in Qatar.

"And also Napoli is there in the running for a place in the Champions League."

Roma begin their campaign away to Salernitana on Sunday.

Fabio Capello has compared Paulo Dybala to Roma legend Francesco Totti but believes the Argentine's new strike partner Tammy Abraham has some way to go before he reaches the level of Gabriel Batistuta.

Capello was in charge of Roma when they last won the Scudetto in the 2000-01 season, with Batistuta and Totti netting a total of 33 Serie A goals (Batistuta 20, Totti 13) as they edged out Juventus in a thrilling title race.

With Jose Mourinho having delivered the Europa Conference League trophy during his first season in the Italian capital last term, hopes are high the Giallorossi could mount a serious domestic challenge this time around.

The acquisitions of Dybala, Georginio Wijnaldum and Nemanja Matic have seen Roma tipped for a title push in some quarters, with Abraham also expected to kick on after scoring 17 goals in his first Serie A campaign.

Capello, who last month said Dybala's arrival from Juventus could shift the balance in Serie A, thinks Roma's new signing could prove as influential as the club's all-time top goalscorer Totti.

"Football evolves all the time," Capello told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But if it's a game I tell you that the Argentine has the touch of the ball, the ability to find a partner and the ease of scoring that Francesco had."

However, Capello says Abraham has plenty of work to do in order to be considered in the same category as Argentine great Batistuta, who scored 30 Serie A goals during a two-and-a-half season spell in Rome between 2000 and 2003.

"Let's take it easy," Capello added. "Gabriel was a professor of the penalty area. The sense of goal he possessed has been had by few players in the world. 

"Abraham is certainly more mobile, but we are on another level for the moment."

Meanwhile, Roma's transfer activity has left Capello believing they are among the favourites to win Serie A in the 2022-23 season, as he claimed only Simone Inzaghi's Inter are clearly superior to Mourinho's team.

"The Giallorossi can no longer hide," he added. "Only Inter, with [Milan] Skriniar, can be superior to them. [Comparisons to] Juve and Milan are already valid."

Roma begin their Serie A campaign with a trip to Salernitana on August 14.

Juventus great Gianluigi Buffon believes Paulo Dybala will benefit from joining Roma over Serie A rivals Inter.

Dybala had been strongly linked with a switch to San Siro after his contract with Juve, where he had spent the past seven seasons, expired.

However, Inter instead re-signed Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea, and the Argentina international then had a choice between Napoli and Roma, eventually opting for the latter on a three-year deal.

Buffon, who spent five seasons playing in the same side as Dybala in Turin, feels his former colleague made the right decision.

"Paulo had the right to choose after his exit from Juventus on a free transfer," Parma goalkeeper Buffon told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"In the past few weeks, Dybala could have gone to Inter, Roma or Napoli and I hoped he would have chosen either of the latter two. I hoped it for his career.

"Paulo needed an emotional shock and I was certain that only Roma and Napoli could have given that to him. I wrote it to him in a message and I am happy to see him at Roma."

Dybala has scored 103 goals in 299 outings in his decade in Serie A with Palermo and Juve, with the 22 goals he managed in the 2017-18 campaign his best single-season return.

The 28-year-old joins a Roma side that finished sixth last season but lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in Jose Mourinho's first year at the helm.

That made Roma the first Italian side to win a major European competition since Inter triumphed in the Champions League in 2010, also under Mourinho.

Dybala adds further depth to a squad that already contains the likes of Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tammy Abraham, who is delighted with the transfer coup.

"I think it's a privilege to have added a player that good to our team. It means a lot to the fans, who have received him very well," Abraham said.

"The message appears clear to me: the club is creating a great project and the results are clear."

Paulo Dybala began life as a Roma player by insisting he bore no ill feeling towards Inter once his expected switch to San Siro failed to materialise.

Argentine forward Dybala has joined Roma on a free transfer after his contract at Juventus was allowed to expire, with the 28-year-old confident the capital club are becoming an increasingly powerful force.

Inter appeared to be the option that Dybala would choose after his Juve exit, but Nerazzurri managing director Giuseppe Marotta last week said the club had "no space" and "no need" to do that deal. They have brought in Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the close season.

"I didn't feel betrayed," Dybala said at a presentation media conference. "Since ending my contract with Juve I spoke to some teams more than others. I have a good relationship with Marotta."

Dybala said Roma general manager Tiago Pinto swayed him towards the Giallorossi, and he expects last season's Europa Conference League trophy triumph to prove a stepping stone to more success.

He said he would not celebrate if he scored in games against Juventus, and refused to speak of a Serie A title challenge – quite justifiably. Roma came home sixth in the league last season and finished 23 points behind champions Milan.

"Roma have won a very important trophy and want to have ambition for the future," Dybala said. "Roma have grown with the coach and the players. Our goal is winning game by game, then later we'll see where we are. Right now there are teams ahead of us for the Scudetto, we have to work to do well.

"I know there is a great desire, but it's too early to talk about it. But I like to win."

So does Jose Mourinho, the Roma head coach who will expect big things from Dybala.

Dybala scored 15 goals and added six assists in 38 games across all competitions last season, a big step in the right direction after a disappointing 2020-21 effort (five goals, three assists in 26 games).

His shot conversion rate of 12.4 per cent was nothing to crow about, however, compared to new Roma team-mate Tammy Abraham, whose rate of 18.18 per cent led to an 18-goal haul.

Now Dybala must put his playmaking attacking skills to work.

"Both Mou and the company showed me seriousness, enthusiasm, awareness," Dybala said at his presentation on Tuesday. "Knowing how Roma are building, I didn't have many doubts about choosing.

"It's up to the coach to decide where I play, wherever is best for the good of the team. I am ready to play wherever he thinks is best. Speaking with Mourinho before moving here was a great pleasure, all the conversations we had were very productive."

Giuseppe Marotta says Inter did not need Paulo Dybala and offered no guarantees Milan Skriniar will stay at San Siro.

Dybala was strongly linked with a move to the Nerazzurri, but this week joined Serie A rivals Roma as a free agent after his Juventus contract expired.

Inter have added firepower by bringing Romelu Lukaku back to the club on loan from Chelsea and playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan also signed after leaving Roma.

With Lautaro Martínez, Edin Dzeko and Joaquin Correa among the other frontmen in Simone Inzaghi's squad, Inter managing director Marotta believes it would have made no sense to snap Dybala up.

He told DAZN: "There has been a lot of talk, I can simply say that he is a serious guy and a great professional, but we have an offensive department of great value.

"There was no space, not because he was not good, but because there was no need."

Skriniar has less than a year remaining on his Inter contract and the centre-back is reportedly a target for Paris Saint-Germain.

Marotta says the club will not keep the Slovakia international at all costs. 

He added: "We had this meeting with the fans and we came out even more strengthened, we took great passion from them. There is a faith in our colours which is a dogma, it was not a protest but they were clarifications.

"We told them that on the one hand we have to build a competitive team and on the other we have to keep an eye on the economic-financial balance.

"Skriniar is a very strong player, he doesn't necessarily have to be put on the market. We had some contacts and everything will be evaluated: the fans, however, must remain calm because the team will always be competitive."

Nemanja Matic wasted little time in deciding to join Roma and work with Jose Mourinho, explaining the Giallorossi coach "convinced me in less than five minutes".

The Serbia international will play under the stewardship of Mourinho for a third time in his career, having already featured for the Portuguese at Chelsea and Manchester United.

Mourinho first signed the midfielder for Chelsea from Benfica in 2014 in a deal worth £40million ($50m), winning the Premier League in their sole season together.

Matic played at Stamford Bridge for a further two years after Mourinho's departure, before the Portuguese coach re-signed him at United in 2017.

The following year Mourinho was relieved from his duties at Old Trafford, with Matic staying at United until last month, when he reunited with his former coach on a one-year deal in the Eternal City.

Matic has played 118 matches under Mourinho, the 33-year-old's most appearances under a single manager in the Premier League, and could not turn down working with him once more.

"He convinced me in less than five minutes to come to Rome: when I left United he called me and I immediately said yes," Matic told Il Messaggero.

"Mou has something extra that motivates and spurs you. I've never seen him satisfied, when he wins he already thinks about the next day. He is the first to be hungry for victories.

Inter vice president Javier Zanetti is unsure whether Alexis Sanchez will remain a Nerazzurri player amid reports of interest from Saudi Arabia.

The Chilean 33-year-old arrived from Manchester United in 2019, initially joining on a season-long loan before signing a permanent deal in 2020.

He was part of the 2020-21 Inter side which delivered their first Serie A title since the 2009-10 season, while he also scored a 121st minute winner to help his team lift the 2022 Supercoppa Italiana in January.

Sanchez only scored five goals in 27 Serie A appearances for Inter last season, though he was either substituted on or off in 25 of those matches, and there has subsequently been talk of a move away from San Siro.

It has been reported that Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have made an offer for Sanchez, but Zanetti was coy when asked about the forward's situation.

Zanetti told En Cancha: "He has started training with the team and is training with the whole squad.

"The transfer market is open, but today he is still one of our players."

Having already signed Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea, Inter had looked set to further strengthen their attacking options with the acquisition of Paulo Dybala, who left Juventus at the end of his contract in June.

The 19-time Serie A champions appeared to be frontrunners to sign Dybala, but the Argentine has instead joined Jose Mourinho's Europa Conference League winners Roma ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Inter may also lose Milan Skriniar, who has been strongly linked with a move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, although Nerazzurri goalkeeper Samir Handanovic said it was "essential" to keep the defender on Thursday.

Paulo Dybala turned down an offer to wear the number 10 shirt at Roma because he believes it still belongs to club icon Francesco Totti. 

Roma snapped up Argentina international Dybala on a three-year contract on Wednesday after his deal with Juventus expired. 

Totti made 786 appearances and scored 307 goals in a 25-year career with the Giallorossi that came to an end at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. The club has not had a number 10 since then. 

Dybala was grateful to be offered the chance to wear the shirt but felt it should remain Totti's. However, he did not rule out donning it in future. 

"I spoke to the general manager and he asked if I wanted to take number 10, which of course is so significant here because of everything Francesco Totti did," Dybala said in a club interview. 

"I think that shirt and that number should remain his because of what he means to the city and the fans. I thanked him because wearing a shirt like that requires a lot of respect and responsibility. 

"I still see it as his shirt. Maybe I'll wear it one day but for now I'm happy to have number 21, which is the number I wore when I first started to be successful. Hopefully I'll now start being successful here too." 

Jose Mourinho steered Roma to their first trophy since 2008 by winning the Europa Conference League last season and Dybala wants to help them push for more silverware. 

The five-time Scudetto winner is looking forward to working alongside Mourinho, who he considers to be one of the all-time great coaches. 

"First of all, I want to get into peak shape so that I'm on a par with the other players mentally and physically and help the team doing my job. I want to help this team to carry on winning, with the mentality they acquired last season thanks to the coach, and with my own experience. 

"Of course, the World Cup is around the corner so I'll be doing my absolute best to help this team and reach the tournament in the best shape possible, then hopefully be in the mix for some silverware at the end of the season." 

He added: "Everyone knows who Mourinho is, what he's achieved in the game and what he can do. It was an exciting conversation and we spoke for a long time. It was a very nice chat. 

"I've been fortunate to play with some of the greatest players of all time and now I'll get to work with one of the greatest coaches of all time." 

Roma have completed the signing of free agent Paulo Dybala following the expiration of his contract with Juventus.

The Argentina international spent seven trophy-laden years in Turin, winning Serie A five times and being part of the side that were runners-up in the Champions League in 2016-17.

Dybala's departure was confirmed earlier this year and, despite links with a move to the Premier League, Inter appeared the frontrunners for the 28-year-old's services.

But Simone Inzaghi's side brought Romelu Lukaku back on loan from Chelsea, with their move for Dybala seemingly stalling as a result as Napoli and Roma began to show interest in the striker.

Head coach Jose Mourinho reportedly played a significant role in convincing Dybala to choose the Giallorossi, where the forward has signed a three-year contract.

Speaking to the club's official website following the announcement, Dybala said: "The days that have led up to me signing this contract have been filled with so many emotions.

"The speed and determination with which Roma demonstrated just how much they wanted me made all the difference.

"I am joining a team that is on the up, a club that continues to put in place strong foundations for the future, and a coach, Jose Mourinho, that it will be a privilege to work with.

"As an opponent, I have always admired the atmosphere created by the Roma fans - I now cannot wait for the chance to salute them while wearing this shirt."

Dybala's move to Roma sees him maintain his ties with Italian football, having now spent a decade in Europe following a move to Palermo in 2012.

He scored 103 goals in 299 Serie A appearances across his spells with Palermo and Juve, with his highest return in a single league season coming in a 22-goal haul for the Bianconeri in 2017-18.

Roma finished sixth in Serie A in 2021-22, but lifted their first major trophy since 2007-08 as they defeated Feyenoord to win the Europa Conference League.

Mourinho will be hoping Dybala can form a formidable duo up top with Tammy Abraham as the Giallorossi look to close the gap on Serie A's top four in the upcoming campaign.

Roma have completed the signing of free agent Paulo Dybala following the expiration of his contract with Juventus.

The Argentina international spent seven trophy-laden years in Turin, winning Serie A five times and being part of the side that were runners-up in the Champions League in 2016-17.

Dybala's departure was confirmed earlier this year and, despite links with a move to the Premier League, Inter appeared the frontrunners for the 28-year-old's services.

But Simone Inzaghi's side brought Romelu Lukaku back on loan from Chelsea, with their move for Dybala seemingly stalling as a result as Napoli and Roma began to show interest in the striker.

Head coach Jose Mourinho reportedly played a significant role in convincing Dybala to choose the Giallorossi, where the forward has signed a three-year contract.

Speaking to the club's official website following the announcement, Dybala said: "The days that have led up to me signing this contract have been filled with so many emotions.

"The speed and determination with which Roma demonstrated just how much they wanted me made all the difference.

"I am joining a team that is on the up, a club that continues to put in place strong foundations for the future, and a coach, Jose Mourinho, that it will be a privilege to work with.

"As an opponent, I have always admired the atmosphere created by the Roma fans - I now cannot wait for the chance to salute them while wearing this shirt."

Dybala's move to Roma sees him maintain his ties with Italian football, having now spent a decade in Europe following a move to Palermo in 2012.

He scored 103 goals in 299 Serie A appearances across his spells with Palermo and Juve, with his highest return in a single league season coming in a 22-goal haul for the Bianconeri in 2017-18.

Roma finished sixth in Serie A in 2021-22, but lifted their first major trophy since 2007-08 as they defeated Feyenoord to win the Europa Conference League.

Mourinho will be hoping Dybala can form a formidable duo up top with Tammy Abraham as the Giallorossi look to close the gap on Serie A's top four in the upcoming campaign.

Roma's potential acquisition of Paulo Dybala can shift the balance in Serie A and make Jose Mourinho's men Scudetto contenders, according to former Giallorossi boss Fabio Capello.

Having left Juventus as a free agent when his contract expired at the end of June, Dybala was strongly linked to Inter and Napoli, but now appears set to join Mourinho's Europa Conference League winners.

With reports on Monday suggesting Dybala was close to joining Roma, the Argentina international arrived in Portugal, where the side are holding a pre-season training camp, for his medical.

Dybala scored 82 goals in 210 Serie A appearances for the Bianconeri after arriving from Palermo in 2015, including 25 from outside the penalty area, more than any other player has managed during that time in the competition.

Among current Roma players, captain Lorenzo Pellegrini's nine is the highest such tally, and Dybala's imminent move has led to suggestions the Giallorossi could better last season's sixth-placed league finish.

Asked by Il Messaggero whether the Argentine's arrival could shift the balance at the top of Serie A, Capello responded: "I would say yes. He is a great player, one of those who make the difference. 

"[He can] raise the level of the team and change something in Serie A, because Roma are now in the group of favourites.

"If Mourinho calls you himself, it becomes really difficult to say no."

Capello led Roma to the most recent of their three Serie A titles in 2000-01, edging out Juventus by just two points in a tense title race.

The legendary tactician believes there are likenesses between Mourinho's side and his Scudetto winners, adding: "The comparison is plausible. I see many similarities. 

"I think that Mourinho, as happened to me in that season, will try to guarantee balance in a team with enormous offensive potential. 

"Roma, after all, was doomed to attack; we had Cafu and [Vincent] Candela outside. I needed some cover."

Roma lifted their first trophy since the 2007-08 campaign in their first full season under Jose Mourinho, but that came as no surprise to Giallorossi centre-back Chris Smalling.

Smalling left Manchester United in 2020 for Rome, where he linked up with former Red Devils manager Mourinho after the Portuguese coach was appointed last year.

Mourinho headed back to Italy following his sacking by Tottenham after just 17 months in charge of the Premier League side, and guided Roma to sixth in Serie A in 2021-22.

Though his team failed to keep pace with Italy's top four, Mourinho managed to deliver European success in the inaugural Europa Conference League, beating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final.

That made the 59-year-old just the second manager to win five major European titles after Giovanni Trapattoni, and the first coach to lift such trophies with four different teams.

Mourinho went as far as marking the achievement with a tattoo on his right arm picturing his European honours, and Smalling says success was bound to happen after his Roma appointment.

"The coach is always the same, he is a leader with such a strong character that he has forged over the years with successes," Smalling told Il Corriere dello Sport.

"A great coach like Mourinho who enjoys enormous esteem all over the world is the perfect profile for Roma, it is no coincidence that he won immediately, in the first season."

The lure of Mourinho has reportedly secured the services of free agent Paulo Dybala, whose contract expired at Juventus at the end of last season.

With Mile Svilar, Nemanja Matic and Zeki Celik already signed this transfer window, Smalling believes Roma will continue improving to compete with the likes of Inter, Juve, Napoli and Milan.

"I like this team, it is normal for expectations to rise and the bar to move upwards," added Smalling, who made 27 Serie A appearances last season. 

"We found good continuity at the end of last season, which we lacked before when we had left points on the road. The backbone of the team is good, the group is united, we know the coach, who has been working with us for a year.

"All the teams can improve, whoever arrives would be an important addition. I think this should be the minimum goal for Roma.

"This club has been out of major European competition for too long. We must be in the top four to participate in the Champions League and then try to win another trophy."

Smalling's contract is set to expire next June but the 32-year-old insists his focus remains solely on Roma.

"The priority for me is to play and help the team and then things will come," he continued. "I think I can still be useful. You can't escape your age, but you have the years you feel. 

"I have always tried not to have regrets, I play every game as if it were the last, I always go out on the pitch to give everything, to leave no stone unturned. 

"I have not changed today that I am 32, I have always faced one game at a time."

Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has poured cold water on the prospect of Paulo Dybala's arrival amid reports the Argentina international is set to join Serie A rivals Roma.

The Partenopei will have sizeable voids to make up for, with Kalidou Koulibaly, Dries Mertens, Faouzi Ghoulam and David Ospina all following Lorenzo Insigne to the exit since the end of last season.

Napoli and Roma emerged as Dybala's likeliest destinations after talks with Inter broke down, with fans even voicing their displeasure towards Spalletti at the lack of transfer activity during an address as preparations for the new season continued over the weekend.

Speaking after his side's 4-1 friendly win against Perugia on Sunday, the 63-year-old said he believes Dybala's wage demands make him an unrealistic target, though the club will be looking to move as the dust settles elsewhere in the market.

"I read that there are several teams in for him, [but] he wants a high contract," Spalletti said. "And probably his demands are [too] high for the moment for a club who has to think about it.

"Certainly we are thinking of some integration of the squad, but the market tells us that many moves will be made at the last moment given the long period in which negotiations take place.

"It is clear that the fans want to see quality. We have only one means at our disposal, that of showing personality and technique when we enter the field."

Koulibaly, who signed for Chelsea on Saturday, might not be the last player to leave Naples before the start of the season, with Victor Osimhen and Matteo Politano also linked to moves elsewhere.

Spalletti tried to remove polemics from their respective situations, insisting they will flourish at Napoli if they stay.

"Victor has to find the best condition, but we know what his great potential is and we will work to bring out his qualities," he said.

"If Politano remains and gives us his important contribution like last year, we are all happy."