Roma star Paulo Dybala has dismissed speculation he could join Chelsea this summer and insists he is staying with the Serie A club.
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The Argentina international has been linked with 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 (£10m).
New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is known to be a big fan of his compatriot and tried to sign during previous spells at both Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.
Thiago Silva then added further 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.
The 29-year-old has been in England for the past few days to take in several huge 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 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: ‘I’m motivated for pre-season, which we’re starting tomorrow [Monday]. My future? I’m happy at Roma. I’m staying here.’
Chelsea’s rumoured interest in Dybala always seemed a little strange, with the club having already strengthened their attacking options by bringing in Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku.
Still, veteran centre-back Thiago Silva would have jumped at the chance to play alongside the World Cup winner, telling 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.’
Although Dybala’s season was hampered by injury, he still scored 12 times and laid on six assists in 26 Serie A appearances as well as netting five times en route to the Europa League final.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho had not seemed especially concerned about potentially losing his star forward when asked about the speculation on Saturday, saying: ‘I don’t know anything about his contract. But obviously I talk to Paulo like I do with all of my players.’
Chelsea, meanwhile, are believed to be focusing on offloading more players and trimming their still bloated squad, while their transfer priority now is bringing in a new midfielder with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo their top target.
MORE : Thiago Silva reveals he has spoken to Paulo Dybala about joining Chelsea this summer
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