Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea will not be able to sign 30-year-old AS Roma star in January: Reports
Jose Mourinho believes that his former club Chelsea will not be able to land star Roma forward Paulo Dybala this month. The Argentine forward has been linked with an exit from the Italian club in the winter transfer window, with the Blues among the interested parties.
Roma have been very inconsistent this season, and the regular absence of Dybala has been a contributing factor. The 30-year-old has been a talisman for the club since his arrival from Juventus, and his performances have not gone unnoticed.
Jose Mourinho believes that Dybala will remain with the Italian side beyond this month despite the situation of his release clause, according to TuttoMercatoWeb (via football.london). Dybala has a release clause of £10 million in his contract, but the release clause is active only until January 15.
Chelsea's Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino is a huge fan of Dybala, and is pushing for his side to sign him this month. The situation has been complicated by an injury picked up by the forward in his side's Coppa Italia defeat to Lazio.
Jose Mourinho continues to plan for the remainder of the season with Dybala, as he expects him to remain with the club. The Portuguese manager and the club's hierarchy believe that the former Juventus man will honour his contract, which is set to expire in 2025.
Paulo Dybala has scored five goals and provided six assists for Roma this season in 13 league appearances. The Argentine forward also contributed 18 goals in 38 appearances in his debut season at the club, helping them reach the final of the UEFA Europa League.
Chelsea keen on attacking reinforcement
Chelsea are interested in strengthening their frontline following their struggles in front of goal. This month, they are without top scorer Nicolas Jackson, who is away at the AFCON with Senegal, and Christopher Nkunku has picked up an injury.
The Blues are left with Armando Broja as their only remaining senior striker possibly until February, and this is hardly an ideal situation for the club. They have been linked with several names this month, including Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney, as potential additions to their squad.
The addition of Dybala to the list of targets is a smart choice as the forward will provide quality and high-level experience to their young squad. The versatile Argentine forward will be a low-risk signing for the side, and they will be keen to add his quality to their side.