President Confirms Arsenal’s Interest In Striker Amid Reports Of €40m Chelsea Bid

As the opening of the summer transfer window approaches, managers are working hard identifying targets and lining-up potential deals so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Arsenal’s interest in Paulo Dybala is confirmed….

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has confirmed that Arsenal are keen on signing striker Paulo Dybala amid reported interest from Chelsea, according to ESPN.

Dybala is one of Europe’s most wanted attackers after enjoying an excellent season at Palermo that’s seen him score 13 goals and provide 10 assists in his 31 appearances so far.

The 21-year-old is set for a move at the end of the season after rejecting a contract extension and he’s been linked with a whole host of clubs over the past few months.

However, Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has now confirmed that the strikers agent is only interested in him joining a ‘top club’ and named Arsenal and Juventus among the four teams who are leading the chase for his signature.

“Dybala is leaving at the end of the season and he and his agent are aiming for a top club, and they are right to do so,” Zamparini is quoted as saying by ESPN

“Four clubs want him — two are Italian, the others foreign. Certainly Juve and Arsenal want him.”

This news comes shortly after Dybala’s agent, Gustavo Mascardi, claimed that Chelsea are also in the running and have already tabled a formal offer worth €40m (£28.8m) but warned any interested party that the youngster won’t be sold for anything less than €50m (£36m).

“Paris St Germain have already come forward with an offer of about £32.4m and Chelsea had already reached £28.8m.

“We’re now at the stage where the price cannot be lower than €50m (£36m). Paulo is in no hurry and will take his decision calmly.” Mascardi is quoted as saying by the Evening Standard.

So it seems that Arsenal and Chelsea are firmly in the race to sign Dybala this summer but they may have some persuading to do in order to tempt him to the Premier League as the striker has confirmed that his first choice would be to remain in Italy and hinted at joining Juventus to link up with Andrea Pirlo.

“I admit it — I am very attached to Italy, where I have become famous, and I would like to stay here,” Dybala told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Absolutely, with a playmaker like him everything becomes easier, particularly for a forward,”

“Pirlo makes even the most difficult things look easy. Did you see him against Monaco? It was from one of his amazing passes that the penalty arrived which decided the game.

“[Alvaro] Morata did well to go deep, but it was Pirlo’s invention.”

With Dybala favouring a move to Juve, Arsenal and Chelsea will be hoping the Serie A champions refuse to match Palermo’s asking price as that would then leave the door open to a move to England.

Arsene Wenger is likely to let Lukas Podolski leave on a permanent basis this summer while the likes of Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo could also be made available for transfer, so the Gunners are expected to bring in another forward with Dybala seemingly on Wenger’s radar.

Chelsea are also in the market for striking reinforcements as Diego Costa has been struggling with an on-going hamstring concern while Didier Drogba is set to leave when his one-year deal expires in June, and once again the Blues are showing a keen interest in the youngster.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news

However, it remains to be seen whether the Premier League duo will be prepared to pay the €50m it will take to land the Argentinean international this summer, as that sounds like a huge fee for a player who’s only got one impressive season under his belt and is yet to prove himself on the European stage.