Chelsea handed chance to sign Mourinho favourite for knockdown price

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 27 Apr 2023 21:19 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea could bolster their attacking options by landing Roma forward Paulo Dybala for a bargain €12m this summer.

The Argentine World Cup winner, 29 – a favourite of former Blues boss Jose Mourinho at Roma – is said to have a release clause set at that eye-catchingly low amount for clubs from outside Italy.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who reports that other Italian clubs could activate a slightly higher release clause of €20m to secure Dybala’s services.

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However, Romano adds that Roma could quite easily effectively block the latter clause from being triggered by activating a salary increase of €2.2m for Dybala.

Dybala joined Roma as a free agent last summer, having left Juventus after seven seasons with the Bianconeri; he currently has an Estimated Transfer Value of €28.2m.

The former Palermo man has made quite an impact for Mourinho’s Giallorossi this season, scoring 16 goals in 34 appearances and helping the 2021/22 Europa Conference League winners reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.

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Dybala a deal worth doing

As affordable as he may be, though, Dybala is unlikely be top of Chelsea’s summer shopping list: the Blues need someone to spearhead their attack, having spent the best part of €700m since Todd Boehly’s takeover last year but failed to adequately upgrade at centre-forward.

Romelu Lukaku was loaned back to Inter Milan after a disastrous return to Stamford Bridge – while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who turns 34 in June, is not a realistic long-term solution.

Dybala would add quality depth to Chelsea’s offensive ranks, though – and there could well be a place for him in the plans of the club’s next manager, quite possibly his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino.