Chelsea could make a shock swoop for Roma superstar Paulo Dybala with Mauricio Pochettino keen to trigger his compatriot’s release clause, according to reports in Italy.
The west London club have already bolstered their attacking options with the signings of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
They are now focusing on bringing in a new defensive midfielder – with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo their top target – as well as trimming a still very bloated squad.
Once those tasks have been dealt with, however, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport are reporting that Chelsea could make a swoop for Dybala.
Only five teams scored fewer goals than the Blues in the Premier League last season, who only averaged a goal a game in a disappointing campaign, and they have already sold top scorer Kai Havertz to Arsenal in a £65million deal.
Pochettino feels Dybala would be the ideal accompaniment to bring additional firepower to his attack and is keen for Chelsea to explore a deal.
Although the Argentina international would command a big salary, a release clause in his contract with Roma means clubs outside of Serie A can sign him for just €12m (£10m).
Pochettino has long been an admirer of his compatriot and Chelsea have ‘asked for more information’ as they weigh up triggering the release clause, though Manchester United, Tottenham and clubs from Saudi Arabia are also keeping tabs on the situation.
Dybala actually came close to joining Spurs from Juventus when Pochettino was still in north London but the move broke down over third-party ownership issues, while he also tried to sign the striker when he was manager of Paris Saint-Germain.
Pochettino spoke about his countryman when Tottenham played the Old Lady in the Champions League five years ago, saying: ‘Dybala is a great player. He’s Argentinean. Of course, the formation of Juventus is a little bit different when playing with Dybala and not playing with Dybala.
‘He’s that type of player, like Messi, Neymar and Cristiano. They have the capacity to give to the team a different option.
‘Of course, it’s difficult for Juventus because Dybala is a fantastic player, but there’s a lot of players than can play and maybe they change a little bit. Of course we’ve watched a lot of games with and without Dybala. It’s about the quality of the players on the pitch.’
After joining Roma on a free transfer last summer, the 29-year-old netted 12 times and laid on six assists in 26 Serie A appearances as well as netting five times en route to the Europa League final and also helping his nation lift the World Cup.
