that the seemingly never-ending saga surrounding Paul Pogba’s situation at Juventus has taken a new and interesting turn. Sources are reporting that Jose Mourinho may move to use Oscar and Ramires as bait in an attempt to make Chelsea FC’s offer more attractive.
Despite signing an improved contract earlier this season, Pogba continues to be the subject of fierce speculation with his future destined to lie anywhere but in Turin once September comes. Multiple teams have been linked with the French midfielder including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City. Manchester United are also said to be interested in bringing Pogba back to the club following his acrimonious departure in the summer of 2012.
Pogba’s great amount of potential began to be realised following his Juventus switch, leading up to him being the named the best young player at last year’s World Cup. This performance sparked the rumour mill and forced the Italian team into offering him a new deal that was reported to have trebled his wage at the time, a deal set to run to 2019.
He has been in good form this season too, scoring seven league goals from his midfield role and he would certainly (at least in terms of talent) be an asset to any Premier League team. With this, Juventus supposedly value him at over £60 million and with Financial Fair Play to comply with, Chelsea would inevitably need to sell in order to afford the fee.
However, it is now thought that Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri is interested in making Ramires and Oscar part of his squad and thus a willingness on Chelsea’s behalf to let them go could make them favourites in the race for Pogba’s signature.
But is it worth it?
Regarding Ramires, the 28 year old Brazillian has fallen out of favour this season. Having started 29 league games during the last campaign, he has started only 8 so far this time out. With Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic the preferred choices in the middle and John Obi Mikel providing a solid, if not spectacular, extra option of the bench, a Ramires-Pogba swap could indeed be a positive move.
Oscar, though, is a more difficult one. This younger Brazillian has started 23 times in the league this season contributing six goals and seven assists to the cause. Oscar is in no doubt a talented player (despite recent criticisms) and his departure would leave a significant void to fill. Juan Cuadrado’s signing could and should potentially do just that, but currently he has shown minimal signs of being anything more than a Capital One Cup player. We’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
The real breaking point is what Juve’s demands will be should Mourinho offer this duo in his bid. With Ramires in his prime and Oscar not having reached his yet, they should be able to comfortably command over £40 million in transfer fees collectively. Hence, a request to hand over much more than £15 million in additional cash should not be accepted no matter how highly Juve value their man.
Furthermore, there are other players out there who are arguably as good as the Frenchman and carry a lower price tag. Atletico Madrid’s Koke is one of these other highly-rated midfielders constantly engulfed by transfer speculation and perhaps a move to bring him to the club may result in a more lucrative situation in the long run.
This is an intriguing development that has added an extra dimension to this on-going story. What do you reckon about Juve’s Pogba valuation? How much would you be willing to part with to see him in a blue shirt next season? Sound off in the comments below!
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