Chelsea are set to join the race to sign Paulo Dybala at the end of the season with the Juventus attacker looking set to become a free agent with his contract expiring. That's according to 90Min, who say that this will be the case when the Blues' protracted takeover is finally complete.
Earlier in March, Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene confirmed that the Argentine would leave the Italian club upon the expiry of his deal despite months of negotiations. Arrivabene said: "The most important change is the one you talked about today.
"Juventus did not renew with Dybala: this is the change that has taken place from October to today. With the arrival of [Dusan] Vlahovic the technical aspect, the team and the project have changed. Part of those changes relate to Dybala's contract which has not been renewed today.
READ MORE: Paulo Dybala transfer latest: Chelsea post-takeover plan, Spurs' 'serious offer', Arsenal bid
"Today's meeting was friendly, very clear, respectful. On the part of Juve, it was not easy to make a lower offer, and they were not very respectful towards Paulo.
"He spent seven years with us, there's a respect for him. The decision was made, we thought about it a lot, but I want to underline one thing: the management of Juventus does not make decisions against Juventus, but for Juventus."
The aforementioned report claims that Chelsea have made contact with Dybala's representatives through intermediaries and the Blues hope to continue negotiations once the takeover of the club is completed. How would Dybala fit in at Chelsea if they did indeed sign him? football.london takes a look below.
The 28-year-old Argentine has been used on the wing, as a central striker and playing off the number nine during his time at Juventus. This means there are various ways Chelsea could set up with Dybala in the side.
One way would be using the former Palermo star as the centre-forward option in the team, with two of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi behind him. Dybala likes to drop deep when his side are in possession and tries to link up the play - similarly to what we see from Havertz when he is used as a false nine.
Speaking of Havertz playing through the middle, Dybala can also be used on the right-hand side in a fluid front three with Mount on the left. Dybala's wicked left foot makes him a real threat when cutting in from the right.
Alternatively, do not forget Romelu Lukaku. Despite the Belgian having a tough time of it as of late, he could still be a huge part of Thomas Tuchel's plans at Stamford Bridge.
There is an option for Havertz and Dybala to be used behind Lukaku in a front three, but that would perhaps lack a bit of speed in the attacking areas. These are just three ways Chelsea could line up with Dybala in the side, but due to the array of talent Tuchel has at his disposal in attacking areas, the possibilities are endless.
Also, if Chelsea needed another reason to pursue a deal for Dybala in the summer, Mauricio Pochettino's old comments about his countryman may prove to be just that. Speaking in 2018, the former Tottenham boss said this to Rai Sport on Dybala: "I think Dybala will recover and I hope he does, because I think it's always nice to play against the best in the world. I put Dybala in that category, because he is a special talent and seeing him on the pitch is wonderful, even if he might cause your team a few problems."
