Chelsea and Barcelona target Paul Pogba has been given 20 days by Juventus to decide whether he wants to stay with the Serie A champions or not.
The French midfielder had reportedly almost signed for Barcelona last summer, before the deal fell through. However, the Catalans are still interested in the 23 year old as they are looking for a long term replacement for talismanic playmaker Andres Iniesta.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have also joined the race to sign Pogba, as their incoming manager Antonio Conte is a huge fan of the Frenchman.
Conte, who is currently the head coach of the Italian national team, is set to take over as the manager of Chelsea after Euro 2016. The Italian had coached Pogba during his days at Juventus, and reportedly wants to take the France international to Chelsea in order to improve the Blues’ midfield.
However, frustrated with all the controversy surrounding their prized player, Juventus have reportedly decided to serve him an ultimatum. The Bianconeri have given Pogba 20 days to decide where his future loyalties lie, according to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Pogba has become one of the best midfielders in the world over the last few years, even making it into the FIFA Ballon d’Or Team of the Year in 2015, after his brilliant performances with Juventus in the 2014/15 season.
Pogba’s dilemma
Normally, to choose between Chelsea and Barcelona would be quite difficult for a top player like Pogba. However, these are not normal times, and a set of circumstances might have made the Frenchman’s choice a little easier to make.
Chelsea are not in the Champions League next season, which means a move to Barcelona could be more sensible for Pogba. However, with Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic still calling the shots in the Barcelona midfield, Pogba might just find it a bit more difficult to get regular action at the Nou Camp for another year at least.
However, with the current Chelsea midfield playing terrible football, the Frenchman will definitely make it into the starting XI on a regular basis. Also, the fact that he has already played under Conte, means that the Italian will play a system under which Pogba has already thrived.
