Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has dealt a blow to potential suitors Chelsea by declaring his love for the Bianconeri.

On Wednesday, the Sun‘s Carl Long reported the Blues are still keeping tabs on the Frenchman after the revelation he won’t be heading to Barcelona, but according to Football Italia, the midfielder told Juve’s official TV channel:

Juve are the first team where I started to play. They’re the team who allowed me to go to the national team, the team where I scored my first goal, so now they’re the club of my heart.

They let me prove myself in football, and had the confidence in me to put me on the pitch.

How much do I love Juve out of 10? 10! Since I’ve been here, I’ve always given my best for the club, for the shirt, for everything. I play at 100 per cent. Always.

Like his team, Pogba hasn’t quite been at his breathtaking best this season, and the 22-year-old has been forced to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the Bianconeri’s midfield in the wake of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal’s departures.

Nevertheless, the Frenchman has still been able to show flashes of his quality, such as this delicious long-range effort in the Turin derby, courtesy of BT Sport Football:

Also worth sharing is his incredible assist for Stephan Lichtsteiner against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League:

Chelsea could do with revitalising their midfield, and the addition of Pogba would undoubtedly meet that need and then some, but if he won’t be moving to the Camp Nou, it seems he may be content to remain in Turin.

Another Italy-based star the Blues could be set to miss out on is Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi, after Italian outlet Tuttosport (h/t Joe Short of the Express) reported the club are dismissing the notion he could be sold.

After bagging 27 goals and nine assists in all competitions last season, Icardi will be highly sought after, but for the foreseeable future, it seems he’ll be terrorising defences in Serie A rather than the Premier League.

Further afield, the Blues are reportedly interested in New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga, but the 20-year-old turned down the chance to join them.

So reports FourFourTwo‘s Martin Harasimowicz, who shared Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch’s praise for the youngster on MLS.net:

I think in many ways he’s been one of the best defenders in the league this year and should be considered in that echelon. His starting points are very high – everything from his mentality, to his awareness, to his athleticism – which means his ceiling is very high.

Miazga is one of the most exciting prospects in MLS—a league slowly but steadily growing in stature all the time—and his decision to remain there for the time being was a smart one.

While Chelsea could use defensive improvement, it’s far from guaranteed he would get the regular minutes he needs to continue his development.

Harasimowicz also reports Miazga still harbours ambitions to play in the Premier League eventually, though, so don’t be surprised if Chelsea return for him a year or two down the line.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1kdd2c6
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