Chelsea have reportedly made contact with the agent of Paulo Dybala, and a deal for the bargain Roma forward would cost just north of £10million.
The Blues have already begun to splash the cash in the third transfer window since Todd Boehly assumed control of the club. It’s little surprise that they’re doing so, after a spend of more than £500million during last season.
This summer, they’ve signed Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Diego Moreira for a combined £84million.
More signings may be coming, but one could be much cheaper than previous deals have been. Indeed, insider Pedro Almeida reports Chelsea have made contact with the agent of Roma forward Dybala over a potential deal.
The deal would be a savvy one were the Stamford Bridge outfit to pull it off, as Almeida reports Dybala has a €12million (approx £10.2million) release clause for foreign clubs.
That certainly seems good value for a player of his quality. Indeed, the Argentine netted 12 times and provided seven assists in 25 appearances in Serie A last season.
With a full season under his belt, he could well be an even more dangerous player, and could contribute to Chelsea’s rise from a poor finish of 12th last season.
That will be ideal for the Blues if it is the case, as some big names are exiting the club this window. The departure of Mason Mount is the major talking point – the academy graduate had been a star player for the Blues, but has now left for Manchester United.
With that being said, the potential addition of Dybala would be a useful one for a few reasons. A fee in the region of £60million after add-ons has been reported for Mount.
As such, Chelsea would be able to effectively replace Mount – given he operates in a similar position – for much cheaper than they have sold him for, leaving cash in the bank for other squad improvements.
Whether Roma want to sell is irrelevant given the clause, but Dybala’s own wishes will have to be taken into consideration. He’s played in Italy since 2012, so it’s unclear if he’d want to leave.
But at 29, he might see interest from Chelsea as an opportunity to try his hand in another league while he can still have a big impact.
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