Chelsea 'ready to push for Paulo Dybala deal'

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly requested that Chelsea try to sign Roma forward Paulo Dybala.

The Blues are again at the start of a new era under a new boss, enhanced by a lack of European football and desperately needing to get back on a sound financial footing to meet regulations.

For the time being, that appears to have been achieved with Chelsea raising nearly £200m through the sales of six players and others expected to follow in due course.

Chelsea have brought in Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson for a combined fee in the region of £84m, with the acquisition of two attackers seemingly leaving Pochettino to focus on other areas of the pitch.

However, on the back of promising supporters that more players would be coming to Stamford Bridge, it seems that Pochettino is eyeing another frontman for a bargain price.

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According to transfer reporter Pedro Almeida on Twitter, Pochettino is interested in securing a deal for his Argentine compatriot Dybala over the coming weeks.

The report claims that contact has already been made with the player's agent to determine whether he would be interested in moving to West London.

Last summer, Dybala made the decision to join Roma on a free transfer, with his desire being to be given regular first-team football in a team that was developing under Jose Mourinho.

While Roma did not deliver in Serie A, they reached the final of the Europa League, losing to Sevilla in the final on penalties after Dybala had initially given them the lead.

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The 29-year-old contributed a total of 18 goals and eight assists from 38 appearances, the kind of form that has left clubs keeping note of the release clauses that were inserted into his contract.

With regards to foreign teams, Dybala is available for just €12m (£10.2m), leaving Roma in a period of uncertainty as they bid to retain the services of arguably their key man.

Pochettino is known to be a long-term admirer of Dybala having previously tried to sign him during his time at Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain.

Other clubs, such as Manchester United, have been credited with an interest in the past, while it is plausible that other opportunities could arise in Serie A, for a higher release clause, or elsewhere.