July 9th 2023.
Paulo Dybala has quashed any speculation of a move to Chelsea this summer, insisting that he is happy in the Italian capital and staying with AS Roma.
The Arsenal-linked Argentine international has been linked to a surprise move to west London in recent days, with a release clause in his contract allowing him to join a team outside of Italy for just €12million.
New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is known to be a big fan of his compatriot and tried to sign him during his previous spells at both Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.
Thiago Silva then added fuel to the speculation on Sunday when he revealed he had spoken to Dybala about a possible move to Stamford Bridge when they bumped into each other at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.
Dybala has been in England for the past few days to take in a number of sporting events, meeting Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon before watching Max Verstappen extend his commanding lead at the top of the F1 championship on Sunday.
He then flew back to Rome later in the evening and was mobbed by reporters at the airport, with the World Cup winner finally addressing the transfer speculation and confirming he is staying at Roma.
Speaking to LAROMA24, he said: ‘My future? I’m happy at Roma. I’m staying here.’
Even though Chelsea have already strengthened their attacking options by bringing in Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku, veteran centre-back Thiago Silva would have still welcomed the chance to play alongside the World Cup winner.
He told Sky Sport Italia: ‘I saw Paulo Dybala here, they [the media] talk about him coming to Chelsea. I’ve talked with him and asked him if he is coming. He is a world-class player. I would love to play with him, it would be a massive signing. Let’s see.’
Dybala's season was hampered by injury, but he still managed 12 goals and six assists in 26 Serie A appearances, while netting five times in the Europa League.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho had also previously seemed unperturbed about the potential of losing his star forward, saying: ‘I don’t know anything about his contract. But obviously I talk to Paulo like I do with all of my players.’
It looks as though Chelsea are now focusing on offloading more players and trimming their still bloated squad, with their transfer priority being to bring in a new midfielder - with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo their top target.
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