Paul Pogba has been snapped lurking within a few miles of Stamford Bridge, sparking rumours that the Juventus midfielder could be on the brink of completing a surprise £60 million transfer to Chelsea. Because there's no reason Pogba would never want to venture out of Turin otherwise, right?
Why it makes sense
Chelsea's signing of Atlético Madrid forward Diego Costa has gone a long way towards resolving their attacking issues. Their big Achilles' heel now isn't their strikers, but their midfield. Central midfielder Nemanja Matić looked excellent after rejoining the Blues in January, but their other options are either unproven or have been proven to be pretty average. By signing Pogba they'd instantly resolve their woes, with the Frenchman's incredible ability to dominate games both with and without the ball and his mobility across the pitch making him a great midfield partner for Matić.
It's also safe to assume Pogba would be pretty up for joining Chelsea. Juventus are undoubtedly the biggest club in Italy at the moment, and he could probably sweep upscudetti with his eyes closed for as long as he stayed at the bianconeri. However, it's hard to see Juve pulling up trees in the Champions League, and moving to a bigger, better club with more realistic European hopes has an obvious appeal. Plus, there's the small matter of Pogba signing himself for Chelsea on Football Manager...
Why it doesn't make sense
There hadn't really been any serious rumours linking Chelsea with a move for Pogba up until the photos of him milling around in London emerged, and Juventus have always seemed pretty confident of keeping hold of their midfield jewel for a little while yet. He has two years left on his contract in Turin, though had been expected to sign an extension in the near future.
Instead of selling Pogba, it has looked more likely that Juve would offload his older midfield counterpart Arturo Vidal, who has been strongly linked with Manchester United for quite a while. It's impossible to imagine the bianconeri selling both players in one transfer window.
Even if they were to sell Pogba, it'd be understandable if they'd want more than £60 million. He's a player with comfortably sufficient potential to become the greatest on the planet, and so Juve could reasonably command a fee more fitting of a player of his calibre. Keeping the 21-year-old and allowing him to stomp over everyone in Serie A for another year could enable them to squeeze the biggest price from his suitors.
Likelihood it happens
It's certainly not impossible. Pogba would no doubt be a great signing for Chelsea, and, as with every one of Europe's giant clubs, it's safe to assume they've at least considered the prospect of making a bid for the Frenchman. However, that these rumours have been based on Pogba's mere presence in London makes them tenuous at best. Let's say there's a 3 out of 10 chance of this happening.
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