Mourinho admission, Pochettino plea, England trip, £10m clause| SolSportHQ

Mauricio Pochettino appears eager to further bolster his Chelsea frontline despite having already signed Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson this summer

Chelsea remain on the lookout for a new striker in the summer transfer window, despite having signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. And they have been linked with Roma frontman Paulo Dybala in recent days.

Dybala is no stranger to being linked with a move to the Premier League, with Tottenham reaching an agreement to sign him four years ago. A deal could not be completed due to issues with image rights and Dybala, who then played for Juventus, eventually went on to move to Roma in 2022 on a free transfer.

The Argentinian has a contract at the Stadio Olimpico until 2025, but there is a release clause in his deal which will interest Chelsea, amongst other interested parties. Dybala featured 25 times for Jose Mourinho’s side in Serie A last season, directly contributing towards 19 goals. Dybala’s eye-catching displays helped the Italian giants reach the Europa League final, as well as beating Juventus to a top-six spot.

So, with that being said, football.london has collated the latest headlines as Chelsea explore a potential move for the Argentinian star.

Mourinho admission

Dybala is understood to have a release clause for forieng clubs to sign him. thaty clause is understood to be at €12milllion (£10.3million), which would be a bargain for Chelsea to get a deal done.

Roma boss Jose Mourinho was asked about the Dybala release clause on Saturday. His response was as you might expect.

Mourinho said: “I don’t know anything about his contract. But obviously I talk to Paulo like I do with all of my players.”

Trip to England

Dybala fuelled suggestions he could be in the process of sealing a move to Chelsea after being spotted at Silverstone. The forward posed for a picture with Max Verstappen after the Red Bull driver finished on pole in qualifying ahead of the British Grand Prix.

It seems that Dybala has been keen to take in the sights, having spent the previous day at Wimbledon, and led Blues fans on social media to ponder whether the forward was also involved in transfer talks during his time in England.

New contract

According to Calciomercato, Dybala is willing to snub interest from the Premier League and pen a new deal at Roma. The report states that the Italian outfit are planning to significantly increase his base salary to €6million (£5.1million) per season, with €2million (£1.7million) in add-ons.

It’s said that Roma would also like to remove his release clause, which is €12milllion (£10.3million) for foreign clubs and €20million (£17million) for Italian sides. Calciomercato add that the Giallorossi owner, Dan Friedkin, would be happy to offer Dybala an extension after shirts with his name and number on have already sold out.

Pochettino request

According to Italian journalist Matteo De Santis, as quoted by RomaPress, Chelsea are considering a move for Dybala, who has been specifically requested by Pochettino. Despite his mere release clause, the report states that Roma aren’t concerned by the Blues’ interest and they’re confident that they can keep him on board for next term.

Messi claim

In 2015, at the age of 21, Dybala was handed his first call-up to the senior national team after bursting onto the scene at Juventus. In an interview with Tuttosport, Lionel Messi was quizzed on the Roma star’s rise to prominence.

“Paulo is a great player and he has a bright future ahead of him,” said the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. “I have no doubt about it that people will talk about him a lot over the next few years.”

Pochettino reasoning

In 2018, ahead of the Champions League clash between Tottenham and Juventus, Pochettino put Dybala on the same pedestal as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. As quoted by Football Italia, the former Spurs boss said: “He’s a great footballer and Juve is a different team when he’s on the pitch and when he’s not.

“Like Messi, Cristiano and Neymar, he has the ability to give the team lots of alternative options. It will be tougher for Juve [playing without Dybala].

“But they have many other players, like [Federico] Bernardeschi. We want to reach the same level as Juve with the same motivation as them.”