Chelsea are reportedly still talking to Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, despite rumours the Frenchman will join Barcelona in the near future.

According to Fichajes.net (h/t Metro‘s Jamie Sanderson), Blues manager Jose Mourinho is desperate to convince the powerful midfielder to join Chelsea next year, while La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Daily Star‘s Alex Harris) claim Juventus and Barcelona already have a deal in place that would see the France international move to Spain.

Meanwhile, Pogba continues to play down any transfer speculation, suggesting he isn’t currently talking to anyone. As reported by Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News, he said:

Why would I not stay? I didn’t have any motive to go, it wasn’t the right time. It was never clear that I would leave, and there’s no reason I can’t continue here for longer; let’s see. I am at Juventus, I am only thinking about Juventus, but I do not know for how long. We will do this year and then see how things go.

The transfer saga surrounding the 22-year-old took on ridiculous proportions toward the end of the summer transfer window, particularly after Chelsea suffered a horrendous start to the Premier League season.

The Sun (h/t Independent‘s Simon Rice) even claimed a deal to take Pogba to Stamford Bridge was done, even though a summer move never seemed likely after Juventus already parted ways with midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. That report was followed by rumours the player himself rejected a move to Chelsea, per BBC’s Match of the Day:

Pogba was handed the iconic No. 10 shirt during the summer, a clear sign Massimiliano Allegri wants to build his squad around the impressive talents of his star midfielder now that Vidal and Pirlo are gone.

The Frenchman is the unquestioned star player of the Bianconeri, giving him the perfect podium to showcase his talents ahead of a potential transfer next summer. With Euro 2016 also taking place at the end of this season, a 2016 transfer always seemed more likely to begin with.

Pogba doesn’t have to leave Juventus, but after four years in Turin, he may be ready for a new adventure. He knows he’ll see a big increase in salary when he does move, and with Juventus starting the season in dreadful fashion and seemingly in a state of transition, now would be the perfect time to start the next chapter in his life.

When he does announce his intention of moving on, there’s bound to be a long line of interested suitors. Pogba looks like a future Ballon d’Or winner and one of the most complete midfielders in all of football—and there’s not a top team out there that wouldn’t pay millions for his signature.

Barcelona remains a likely destination by virtue of the club’s stature, although his fit with the Blaugrana is something of a question mark. The Catalans already field a versatile, complete midfielder in Ivan Rakitic, and perhaps they’d prefer a more creative player who could adequately replace Andres Iniesta at some point in the future.

All of this hinges on whether Pogba decides to leave Juventus to begin with, however, and that’s a question that’s unlikely to be answered until after Euro 2016.

 

Blaugrana Eyeing Young Goalkeeper?

According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Sport), Barcelona have identified Inter Milan‘s Riccardo Brugnoni as a long-term replacement for Claudio Bravo.

The 16-year-old from Peruggia has been one of the standout performers of Inter’s youth setup and was previously followed by Manchester City, but, per Sport, the Nerazzurri had no intention of letting him walk.

Brugnoni is the latest in a long line of young, talented Italian stoppers, joining the likes of Simone Scuffet, Mattia Perin and Nicola Leali. But while the first three have some experience on the highest level, Brugnoni‘s appeal stems entirely from his potential.

Barcelona don’t exactly shy away from giving youngsters with talent a chance, and the club has a sterling reputation when it comes to developing players. But Bravo is just 32 years old―he won’t need a replacement anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is just 23 years old and still ranks as one of the best young stoppers in the world, per Bleacher Report’s Clark Whitney:

Brugnoni is a talented young man, and while Francesco Bardi looks like the natural heir to Samir Handanovic’s position as starting goalkeeper for the Nerazzurri, he’s too young to be thinking about where his senior career will take place. The Italians have always been great at developing goalkeepers―it makes little sense for him to leave his native country for a Catalan adventure.

 

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