Chelsea transfer target Paulo Dybala has “reached an agreement” with Roma to sign a new contract, according to Calciomercato.com.

The Argentinian international has a release fee that would allow a foreign team to sign him for just €12m (£10m).

However, Dybala‘s new deal will remove the clause, which was set to expire at the end of the month in any case.

Calciomercato claim that the forward did “reject” approaches from Chelsea and teams in Saudi Arabia, as he made a “promise” to manager Jose Mourinho that he would stay.

Dybala will earn €6m a season (approximately £99,000 a week), which is an increase on the €4.5m a year he was previously earning at the Serie A club.

Pochettino is a big admirer of Dybala

It was clear that the Chelsea manager was the one driving the pursuit of the 29-year-old, having previously expressed his admiration of the player back in 2018 when Dybala was playing for Juventus:

“He’s a great footballer and Juve is a different team when he’s on the pitch and when he’s not. Like Messi, Cristiano and Neymar, he has the ability to give the team lots of alternative options.”

Chelsea have moved on to other targets

Dybala’s best position is playing as a no.10 or on the right wing, which are the positions that Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus prefers to play as well.

The Blues have reportedly made contact about signing the Ghanaian international but, unlike Dybala, Kudus will cost a pretty sizeable sum.

Ajax are reportedly holding out for around £40m to sell the 22-year-old this summer. With Arsenal and Manchester United also keen on the player, it could be a battle to secure his signature.

Other options (such as Rayan Cherki and Gabri Veiga) have also been considered but Chelsea’s interest in Dybala appears to have come to an end.