Chelsea have opened talks over a bargain £10m swoop to sign AS Roma forward Paulo Dybala this summer as Mauricio Pochettino continues his rebuild, according to reports.
Goal reported on Wednesday that the West Londoners see the Argentina international as the man to replace Kai Havertz and Mason Mount – who have joined Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.
Havertz spent three years at Stamford Bridge after joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. The 24-year-old made a total of 139 appearances, scored 32 times, and recorded 15 assists across all competitions. He netted the winner in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.
Last season, the Germany forward finished as the club’s second-highest goal scorer with nine goals in 47 games in all competitions as Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League.
Mount, on the other hand, completed his move to United on Wednesday after passing medical. The England midfielder has put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the option for an extra year.
The 24-year-old racked up 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 appearances for Chelsea since making his debut in 2019. Chelsea have brought in Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku to bolster their frontline but Pochettino wants to bring in another attacker and Dybala has emerged as a target.
Attacking reinforcement
According to GOAL, the Blues boss is keen to lure Dybala to Stamford Bridge but Chelsea are likely to face stiff competition for the South American’s signature due to his bargain £10m (€12m) release clause.
The Blues have now stepped up their interest as journalist Pedro Almeida claims that Chelsea have made contact with Dybala’s agent to discuss a potential move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Dybala moved to AS Roma on a free transfer last summer after seven years at Juventus where he was a fan favourite at the Allianz Stadium. The 29-year-old scored 115 goals and registered 48 assists in 293 appearances in all competitions, helping the club win five successive Serie A titles during his stay in Turin as well as four Coppa Italia trophies.
At Roma, he has become a key cog of Jose Mourinho’s side, featuring in 38 games and making 26 goal contributions across all competitions as Roma reached the finals of the UEFA Europa League last term.
He was part of the Argentina squad that won last year’s World Cup in Qatar, beating France 4-2 on penalties in the final. Dybala has lots of quality and could be a shrewd piece of business if Chelsea could get a deal agreed this summer.
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