Chelsea Transfer News: Dissecting Latest Paul Pogba Exit Rumours

Mino Raiola, the agent of Juventus star Paul Pogba, put top clubs around the continent on high alert when he suggested the midfielder will leave the Italian champions at some point in the future, but fans of Chelsea should hold off on ordering their custom jerseys for now.

Speaking to Mediaset (h/t Football Italia), super-agent Raiola told reporters the 21-year-old star will not stay in Italy, emphasising his quick development and the timing of a potential transfer:

"

I knew his talent, but when one moves to Italy so young you don’t expect them to establish themselves immediately. He’s grown rapidly, even I didn’t expect it.

Will he stay in Italy? No. It will be up to them [Juventus], we have renewed his contract, we’re happy with Juventus but when the time is right to leave we’ll take that opportunity.

We’ll see, I don’t know when the right time will come…

"

The France international recently signed a new contract with the Bianconeri, which runs through the 2018-19 season and doesn't include a buy-out clause, a practice hardly ever used in Italy.

Raiola's interview quickly spread to the international media and took on a life on its own. The London Evening Standard's Tom Collomosse suggested a transfer to Chelsea or Manchester City in 2015—Sky Sports' Pete O'Rourke claimed the agent was talking about an imminent transfer:

While a transfer in 2015 certainly isn't out of the question, it's important to put Raiola's comments in perspective. Some of the reports and rumours are making it sound as if Pogba is already looking at real estate in London, Madrid or Paris, and that certainly isn't the case.

For those not familiar with Raiola, Goal's Mark Doyle wrote up an interesting profile of the super-agent in 2013, following Mario Balotelli's move to AC Milan. The 47-year-old represents some of the biggest names in football, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he specialises in big-money transfers.

It's not a coincidence his clients tend to move around a lot—the likes of Balotelli and Ibrahimovic aren't known as particularly loyal players. Of his top stars, Pogba may be the only exception.

The agent also has a fantastic relationship with Juventus, as shared by Gianlucadimarzio.com's David Amoyal:

When it comes to transfers, the man is a genius. He loves to talk up his clients in interviews and never rules out a move, regardless of the situation. BT Sport's James Horncastle shared this anecdote as an illustration:

Making bold statements is what he does—it doesn't necessarily mean his clients are effectively on the brink of a transfer.

Now, on to Pogba. The youngster is arguably the best young midfielder on the planet, the type of player who will be chased by just about every top club in football once he decides to leave Juventus. Chelsea will undoubtedly be among his many suitors, but on a financial level, they may be surpassed by even bigger clubs.

According to BBC Sport, Manchester United are rumoured to be willing to offer the Bianconeri £77 million right now, and club director Giuseppe Marotta's answer was quite clear:

Pogba's eventual transfer fee will likely break the transfer record, or at least come close. According to Forbes, the Blues are the sixth most valuable football team in their latest rankings—whether they have the financial firepower to compete with the absolute giants of the sport is questionable.

And with the duo of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas dominating just about whoever they face in the centre of the pitch right now, one has to wonder whether manager Jose Mourinho will feel the need to splash that kind of cash on another central midfielder.

Pogba would be a fantastic addition for the Blues, and there's no reason to believe they won't be in the mix when he does leave Juventus.

But as of right now, and despite what some outlets may be stating, a 2015 move is still far from a certainty for the young Frenchman.

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