Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United are in a three-way race to land AS Roma forward Paolo Dybala, according to reports in Italy.
Dybala joined Jose Mourinho’s side last summer after a seven-year stint with Serie A rivals Juventus.
A hamstring injury sustained while scoring a penalty in a game against Lecce last October cast doubt over his availability at the World Cup, but he recovered in time to travel to Qatar with Argentina.
He missed five league matches as a result but came back firing, providing eight goal contributions in his seven appearances after returning from Qatar.
Having scored 18 and assisted a further eight in 38 appearances across all competitions for Roma in his debut season, Dybala is attracting interest from the Premier League.
The 29-year-old penned a three-year contract when he agreed to join the Giallorossi. His deal includes a €12million (£10.2million) release clause for foreign clubs and a €20m release clause for teams in Italy.
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This is obviously viewed as a massive bargain for a player with 38 Argentina caps and 178 goal contributions in 296 Serie A matches.
Chelsea, Spurs and United are believed to be eyeing up a move for Dybala, with all three clubs eager to bolster their frontline.
The Red Devils are in dire need of a new No. 9, and although the Argentine is not exactly an out-and-out striker, he would be an excellent option considering his price.
Interest from the Premier League trio was recently reported by Italian outlet Mediaset, who claims the Blues ‘want to trigger Dybala’s release clause’.
And now Corriere dello Sport says the battle is between United and Spurs. Dybala’s £10.2m release clause has ‘inevitably’ caught the eye of the former, the report claims.
Unfortunately for Ange Postecoglou’s side, they do not have any European football to offer Dybala, which is said to give United a big advantage in their bid to land his signature.
This, of course, also applies to Chelsea, who finished 12th in the Premier League last term.
A separate report from the same outlet says Roma want to sign Alvaro Morata and are trying to use his friend Dybala to get the transfer over the line.
It is also noted that the Serie A side have an interest in Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, who is seen as too expensive and can only arrive on loan.
He has, however, already ruled out leaving the Gunners on loan after a superb 2022/23 campaign with French club Stade Reims.
After scoring 21 goals in Ligue 1, Balogun said: “I’m not sure [about] the discussions that are going to take place.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But I’m just committed to now; I try to stay present. I obviously want to enjoy the moment with my team and my family.
“What I can say is that I definitely won’t go on loan again.”
Balogun returned to London Colney for pre-season training on Saturday and is expected to hold talks with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
The 22-year-old has also been linked with a shock move to Chelsea, who are still in the market for a striker despite the signing of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
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