Chelsea Ready To Table €52m Bid But Player ‘Loves’ Manchester United

With the January transfer in full swing, managers are strengthening their squads ahead of the second half of the season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Chelsea are linked with Man Utd target Paul Pogba….

Chelsea are ready to make a €52m (£40m) bid for Manchester United target Paul Pogba, according to reports.

Pogba has been constantly linked with a move back to the Premier League during recent transfer windows – despite signing a new long-term contract with Juventus last year – with Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly leading the chase for his signature.

It appears the Blues are ready to try and steal a march on their rivals as the Express claim today that Jose Mourinho is ready to test Juve’s resolve with a €52m (£40m) offer and he may throw in the likes of John Obi Mikel or Ramires as bait to try and sweeten the deal.

The newspaper doesn’t specify whether the deal will be for January or the summer but I’d assume any potential move would happen at the end of the current campaign as it’s highly unlikely the Serie A champions would sell their key man mid-season.

It remains to be seen how United would respond to such an offer as Louis van Gaal is understood to be keen on luring the 21-year-old back to Old Trafford as he continues to re-shape his squad.

If the Red Devils did go toe-to-toe with Chelsea on the financial front then the Blues may have trouble persuading Pogba to opt for Stamford Bridge as the midfielder recently admitted his love for United.

Pogba spent three years at United after joining the clubs youth system in 2009 but walked away from Old Trafford to join Juventus when his contract expired in 2012 after failing to make the breakthrough into Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team. When discussing his exit, the player said:

“I’m impatient. It was the feeling that I had.

“The coach [Sir Alex Ferguson] had faith in me, but didn’t put me on.

“He said that I was too young. He said: ‘Your time will come’.

“It didn’t come. But it doesn’t mean I will speak ill of Manchester United. I love the club.” Pogba is quoted as saying by the Express

Pogba has blossomed into one of the best all-round midfield players in the world at Juventus so it’s no surprise that the likes of Chelsea and United are keen on bringing him back to the Premier League.

The duo were boosted in their pursuit last week when the French international’s agent, Mino Raiola, talked up a big-money move away from Juve, claiming that his client will look to leave Italian football in the near future.

“He [Pogba] cannot stay for very much longer in Italy,”

“It will depend on the Bianconeri. We extended his contract and we are happy that we did so.

“But when it is the right time to leave, we will inform them. I don’t know when that moment will be.” Raiola is quoted as saying by the Express

Juventus have always maintained they have no interest in selling and they are under no immediate pressure to after Pogba signed a five-year deal just a few months ago.

READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

However, it the player is getting itchy feet and wants to leave Italy, and a club like Chelsea or United come in with a big-money offer, then they may be tempted to cash-in and reinvest the money in strengthening the squad elsewhere.

But I have a feeling it would take more than €52m to persuade the Italian giants to sell in today’s over-inflated market, so Chelsea or United will have to dig deep if they want to land the sought-after midfielder.