Mauricio Pochettino wants Chelsea to trigger Paulo Dybala’s £10m release clause

Chelsea could make a shock swoop for Roma superstar Paulo Dybala with Mauricio Pochettino keen to trigger his compatriot’s release clause, according to reports in Italy.

The West London club have already bolstered their attacking options with the signings of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.

They are now focusing on bringing in a new defensive midfielder – with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo their top target – as well as trimming a still very bloated squad.

Once those tasks have been dealt with, however, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport are reporting that Chelsea could make a swoop for Dybala.

Only five teams scored fewer goals than the Blues in the Premier League last season, who only averaged a goal a game in a disappointing campaign, and they have already sold top scorer Kai Havertz to Arsenal in a £ 65 million deal.

Pochettino feels Dybala would be the ideal accompaniment to bring additional firepower to his attack and is keen for Chelsea to explore a deal.

Although the Argentina international would command a big salary, a release clause in his contract with Roma means clubs outside of Serie A can sign him for just €12m (£10m).

Pochettino has long been an admirer of his compatriot and Chelsea have ‘asked for more information’ as they weigh up triggering the release clause, though Manchester United, Tottenham and clubs from Saudi Arabia are also keeping tabs on the situation.

Dybala came close to joining Spurs from Juventus when Pochettino was still in north London but the move broke down over third-party ownership issues, while he also tried to sign the striker when he was manager of Paris Saint-Germain.

Pochettino spoke about his countryman when Tottenham played the Old Lady in the Champions League five years ago, saying: ‘Dybala is a great player. He’s Argentinean. Of course, the formation of Juventus is a little bit different when playing with Dybala and not playing with Dybala.