Chelsea‘s quest to add attacking depth during the summer transfer window has hit a setback, as Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi is reportedly close to signing a new deal with the Nerazzurri.

According to the London Evening Standard‘s Simon Johnson, the Argentinian is set to become the club’s highest-paid player, as Inter are willing to let him retain 50 percent of his image rights:

The Blues have watched him in action several times and had hoped to capitalise on his failure to sign an extension.

However, Inter are confident they have now made a key breakthrough in negotiations after promising him a 50 per cent share of his image rights.

It means Icardi now stands to sign a four-year deal worth over £10million, which equates to a wage package in excess of £50,000 a week.

While Chelsea can offer a bigger wage package, Icardi is now expected to remain at Inter, where he is promised regular first-team football.

Icardi has been one of Inter’s most consistent performers during the last two seasons and has firmly established himself as one of the top strikers in Serie A. The 22-year-old is seen as a key building block for the Nerazzurri as they start their long climb back to the summit of Italian football.

Inter would rather not sell their young star, but as shared by FOX Soccer, the club has recently been hit with penalties for violating UEFA’s financial fair play regulations and could use all the help they can get to break even:

The right offer could tempt the Nerazzurri to move Icardi, who could be open to the prospect of joining a club that gives him a better chance of competing for silverware and playing in Europe.

Chelsea would give him just that, but with Diego Costa firmly entrenched as the starting striker, the Argentinian may prefer a destination where regular playing time would be a guarantee.

As things stand, an extended stay with Inter remains the most likely outcome.

 

Paulo Dybala Reportedly Agrees to Terms with Juventus

Speaking of young Argentinian strikers, Palermo‘s Paulo Dybala will reportedly join Juventus during the summer, per Sky Sport’s Fabrizio Romano:

The budding superstar was a target of Chelsea, according to PA Reporter (for the Daily Mail), and Matteo Bonetti explains why just about every top club in Europe was after his signature:

The 21-year-old has taken Serie A by storm this past season and has been the subject of constant transfer rumours since January. Often compared to Manchester City‘s Sergio Aguero, he brings a fantastic blend of pace, trickery and scoring ability to the table.

Aguero is the comparison we hear most often, but the Champions League’s official Twitter account took things one step further:

Dybala is not the new Lionel Messi, but it’s not hard to see why pundits like Bonetti think he can be every bit as good as Aguero. With the Bianconeri, he’ll have ample time to learn from and develop behind Carlos Tevez, who plans on leaving the club for Boca Juniors in 2016, as he told Tuttosport (via Goal’s Mark Doyle).

A move to Chelsea always seemed unlikely, as Dybala is a more natural fit in a system with two strikers and would have been pushed out wide in west London. The young forward is raw and still developing; Chelsea are in the market for impact contributors, not expensive projects.

And while Juventus once again look like the Italian powerhouse of old, Serie A still can’t compete with the Premier League as far as financial muscle goes. If Dybala develops into a world-class forward with the Bianconeri, the Blues will have the chance to launch a transfer offer in two or three years.

 

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