CHELSEA are not ready to give up on Paul Pogba just yet.
The France midfielder has long been on the Blues’ radar but looks set to join Manchester City in the summer … if he does leave Juventus.
Pogba recently said he would love to play under incoming City manager Pep Guardiola but Chelsea believe they can still win the race for one of Europe’s hottest properties and are planning a swap deal by offering Nemanja Matic as part of their deal.
HITC Sport reports: “Chelsea are willing to offer holding midfielder Nemanja Matic as part of their deal to bring Pogba to Stamford Bridge.
“The West Londoners will need to see off competition from Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich this summer if they are to secure the Frenchman’s signature.
“But it is claimed Chelsea believe the offer of a proven first-team star plus a hefty amount of cash will put them ahead of the other potential suitors.”
Offering Matic would certainly boost Chelsea’s chances of securing Pogba but we don’t believe the Serb is a deal-clincher.
The 27-year-old defensive midfielder was a key performer as the Blues won the Premier League last season but he hasn’t been the same player this time around and is not likely to offer much comfort for Juve fans should their star man depart.
Chelsea have baulked at Pogba’s mammoth £70m price-tag in the past and if City – or anyone else – are prepared to meet Juventus’ demands, it’s hard to see the Serie A outfit turning them down in favour of a lower offer from Chelsea, even with the inclusion of Matic.
Would Pogba even want to make the move to Stamford Bridge given it’s extremely unlikely Chelsea will be playing Champions League football next season?
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Chelsea only have themselves to blame after dropping points yesterday to Stoke.
After taking the lead through a cracking goal from Bertrand Traore which was cancelled out late in the game by an error from Chelsea-keeper, Courtois.
Chelsea are now 10 points from 4th with 9 games remaining and absolutely no chance of Champions League Qualification. By the end of today they could be as much as 9 points from 6th and seemingly a bridge too far from Europa League qualification as well.
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Football Advisor – bet with confidence.
