Chelsea ‘want to pay’ €12m to beat Man Utd, Tottenham in race to sign low-cost Serie A forward
According to reports, Chelsea are among the Premier League clubs interested in signing Paulo Dybala from Serie A outfit AS Roma.
Dybala’s seven-year stay at Juventus came to an end last year as he signed for their Serie A rivals Roma, who are managed by Jose Mourinho.
This free transfer signing was viewed as a bit of a coup at the time and he was involved in 26 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions during his debut season. He got on the scoresheet in the Europa League final but Sevilla ended up beating the Italian side on penalties.
Over at Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as their new manager ahead of the 2023/24 season. Around £90m has been spent on signing Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jacson from RB Leipzig and Villarreal respectively but they continue to be linked with potential new forwards.
Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun has been linked with a shock move to Stamford Bridge, but he is more likely to secure himself a move to a club in Europe.
Dybala is a low-cost option for Premier League clubs as there is a €12m release clause in his three-year contract. This exit clause is understood to run until July 31.
Sportmediaset are now reporting that Chelsea ‘want to pay Dybala’s clause’, while Man Utd and Tottenham are also ‘interested’ in him.
Pochettino is a ‘long-term admirer’ of the Argentina international and his future ‘needs to be resolved’ in the coming weeks.
The player’s representatives are ‘planning a meeting’ with Roma and it is claimed that his current preference is to ‘stay’ where he is.
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The report points out that Dybala finds himself in a strong position as he can negotiate a pay rise with Roma, who will be looking to ‘eliminate this release clause’ with a new contract.
And while his current desire is to stay at Roma, Chelsea’s interest is ‘real’ and his position ‘could waver’ in the ‘face of a much more substantial salary’ which will be offered by the Premier League club.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has meanwhile pointed out that Chelsea’s current “focus” is on Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
“Mauricio Pochettino is a super big fan of Paulo Dybala but the focus now at Chelsea is on Moises Caicedo, it’s crucial to understand this,” Romano revealed on his podcast.
“Also, Chelsea are trying to things less random this summer, less negotiating for 5-7 players at the same time, do things step by step, focus on the top target.”
