Roma forward Paulo Dybala quashes Chelsea links | OneFootball

Roma forward Paulo Dybala has played down recent speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea.

After selling Mason Mount to Manchester United, the Blues are on the lookout for a new advanced playmaker to fill the vacancy.

Dybala has emerged as an exciting profile for manager Mauricio Pochettino, who’s hellbent on putting his stamp on a faltering squad he inherited from Frank Lampard.

Pochettino has already sanctioned a mass clearout to trim down the numbers as he looks for quality instead of quantity, aware of the size of the task at hand.

Chelsea slumped to a dreadful bottom-half finish last season for the first time since 1995/96, and the Argentine must find a way to strengthen his roster ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Despite his injury-plagued time at Roma, Dybala would be a top signing. But La Joya wasted no time reiterating his commitment to the Giallorossi, whom he almost led to Europa League glory last term.

“I’m happy to be at Roma, of course. Am I staying here? Yes, we are starting training tomorrow,” the 29-year-old told LaRoma24 after rejoining Jose Mourinho’s training camp on Sunday.

Dybala joined Roma last summer after running down his contract at Juventus, quickly establishing himself among the fan favourites at the Stadio Olimpico.

Given his memorable reception in the summer of 2022, it’s no wonder the left-footed forward has swiftly developed a strong relationship with the Giallorossi fanbase.

Several injury setbacks threatened to ruin his first season in Rome.

However, Dybala went from strength to strength in the face of adversity, tallying 18 goals and eight assists from 38 appearances in all competitions.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner still has two more years remaining on his contract at Roma, and he wants to honour his word.

Dybala’s rejection means Chelsea will have to look elsewhere to replace Mount, but with a lack of European football, luring top players to Stamford Bridge could be challenging.