Nottingham Forest made an ambitious attempt to sign Paulo Dybala during the summer but now Newcastle are interested and the Reds will lose their battle.
Fabrizio Romano made this astonishing claim on an episode of the Here We Go podcast back in September.
It was always likely to be a cheeky attempt. Dybala is utterly world-class and will have many suitors for his services in the summer.
One of those clubs is Newcastle. The Magpies are chasing the Champions League and Calciomercato claiming they want Dybala.
The Argentine will be sought-after. He signed a three-year deal with Roma last summer but clubs outside of England can land him for £10 million in the summer.
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Dybala, 29, has been particularly impressive during his maiden campaign at the Stade Olimpico.
He’s found the net 11 times and claimed seven assists, with clubs across Europe now vying for his signature.
Newcastle are in the handsome position of being able to start shortlisting players ahead of next season.
Forest, however, aren’t quite there yet, with their Premier League status not yet confirmed ahead of 2023/24.
Dybala is a huge ask for Forest anyway. He currently earns around £138,000-a-week and Newcastle would be able to meet that with no problem.
Forest will lose battle to sign Dybala with Newcastle now interested
This one was never really likely. It does, however, look as though he might be heading to England after all.
Dybala has enjoyed a colourful career. He’s turned out for Juventus, where he scored 115 goals and recently won a World Cup with Argentina.
There is a bit of a sense that perhaps he’s not been as good as he could have been which does seem crazy.
Forest left no stone unturned during the summer in their quest to bolster their ranks after promotion.
Dybala proved a bridge too far, however, and even if the Reds stay up it would appear they’ll have no chance in the summer either.