Chelsea are ready to rival Arsenal for Palermo striker Paulo Dybala, having reached out to his agent with an eye on a summer transfer, according to the latest rumours.

Sky Italia (h/t Telegraph Sport) believe the Gunners were in pole position to sign the talented youngster, with Palermo holding out for a fee of £28.9 million, but it now seems the Blues are ready to ruin their transfer plans:

Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly locked in a battle to sign Palermo forward Paulo Dybala.

That’s according to Sky Italia, who claim both clubs have made contact with Dybala’s agent to discuss a summer swoop.

Whatever his destination, it seems Dybala is set to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs at the end of the season following a sparkling 18 months.

Apparently, Arsenal did look in pole position, with talks scheduled for next week, but Chelsea have stormed in. Palermo are ready to sell the forward for £28.9 million.

Arsenal have been linked with Dybala for several weeks now and are widely considered favourites for his signature by the British media. The player himself has indicated he would rather stay in Italy for now, however, with Juventus seen as favourites around the peninsula, per Football Italia:

The Bianconeri are reportedly unwilling to meet Palermo’s valuation but will offer a handful of players and roughly half of the transfer fee. Arsenal and Chelsea have tabled bids closer to what the Sicilians want.

The Argentinian has exploded onto the scene during the 2014-15 campaign after a promising first season in Italy, showcasing incredible pace, finishing ability and technique for a side that doesn’t feature a whole lot of talent besides him.

Dybala is raw and flawed as a player—he still needs to learn how to use his right leg, for example—but extremely talented, and with youngsters like Erik Lamela struggling to adapt to the Premier League in recent years, it’s not surprising to hear he prefers an extended stay in Italy, per Gianlucadimarzio.com’s David Amoyal:

That said, Arsenal are still among the favourites to land his signature, particularly if Juventus can’t come up with enough cash to convince Palermo. And while some fans will question Arsene Wenger’s decision to invest heavily in a young, unproven player, Dybala‘s talent and potential warrant a significant transfer fee.

Statsbomb’s Ted Knutson doesn’t think he’s worth £40 million, although Palermo’s asking price is significantly lower, at €40 million, but he still acknowledged the talent Dybala possesses:

The Gunners may not have a particular need for another forward, as Bleacher Report’s James McNicholas noted Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud rank as two of the club’s top players, but Dybala certainly has the talent to rival the latter for playing time at some point in the future:

Dybala is frequently compared with Sergio Aguero, and while he doesn’t have the latter’s strong build, his playing style is quite similar. His blazing speed and nose for goal should serve him well in England, even if he would need some time to adapt to the quicker pace and physicality of the league.

Dybala isn’t the only youngster from Serie A the Gunners are reportedly eyeing, and per Metro‘s Will Giles, another Premier League club is preparing to rival Arsenal for one of their targets. He reports Liverpool will launch a bid for Inter Milan‘s Mateo Kovacic:

The Inter Milan star has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, who hope to tempt him to the Emirates with the prospect of regular Champions League football.

The Gunners are far from the only club interested in Kovacic, though, and reports in Italy now suggest that Liverpool are also eager to add him to their ranks.

With manager Roberto Mancini looking for funds to rebuild his squad, Inter are resigned to losing some of their star names, but are thought to prefer the prospect of selling Kovacic than their sought-after striker Mauro Icardi.

Kovacic has been a popular name when it comes to transfer speculation, despite recently signing a new deal with the Nerazzurri. He arrived in Milan to much fanfare and was already drawing comparisons to current Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas, mainly for his versatility and vision in the attacking third.

The Croatia international is seemingly for sale, but not because Inter need the money: Kovacic has spent most of 2015 on the bench, and for good reason, via Amoyal:

Maybe all the 20-year-old needs is a change of scenery, and given his young age, he still has plenty of room for growth. But fans expecting an instant-impact player could be in for a shock, as Kovacic has struggled with retaining the ball all season and simply hasn’t been productive.

The Croatian would be a smart investment if the fee is manageable, but with Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona reportedly all interested, that may not be the case. Inter can hardly afford to offload one of their most talented youngsters, and their willingness to sell now suggests something may be going on that we don’t know about.

 

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