Antonio Conte has asked the Chelsea board to shell-out €101m as he wishes to land Paul Pogba.
One of the most sought-after superstars this transfer window is the young, French midfielder Paul Pogba. Chased by almost all the big clubs across Europe, his future has been under constant speculation for well over than 12 months. Antonio Conte now has expressed the desire to bring his former player to his new club in London.
According to beIN Sports writer Jaime F Macias, Antonio Conte has asked the Chelsea hierarchy to pay the astronomical amount of €101m, i.e. his release clause, to secure his services. It’ll be interesting to see whether Pogba considers a return to England, where he initially started his career at Manchester United. His exit, however, from Manchester United was very unceremonious as he had a very public fall-out with Sir Alex Ferguson and the board. Pogba wanted more play-time at United whereas Sir Alex wanted to ease him into the first team. It ultimately ended with Manchester United having to let go of the talented youngster for free.
Over the years, many have debated whether Manchester United should’ve made a better effort in trying to keep their prized asset as Pogba, since moving to Juventus, has helped the Bianconeri win 4 Serie A titles in a row, playing a key part in their illustrious success.
Key for Pogba is to take the next step
Many believe now that Pogba needs to rise to the next level by moving to a more challenging league than Serie A as it’s paramount for his development as a player. The favorites to secure his signature up until now have been Barcelona as they represent and play a style of football which is both eye-catching and dominating. A player with the calibre of Pogba will fit right into the midfield of Barcelona and will have a chance to win trophies, both in Spain and Europe.
Although Pogba is far from signing with any club at this moment, both his agent and Juventus would be willing to listen to all offers for Pogba and then decide where to sell him. Chelsea might have an edge in this deal as the French-midfielder has worked before with the Italian manager and would love to have a reunion with his former boss. The ball is clearly in Chelsea’s court now as they ponder on whether they want to make such a massive investment in one player.
