Chelsea Transfer News: Rumours on Paul Pogba, Carlos Badal

Axel Witsel threw some extra fuel on the rumours linking him with a transfer to Juventus, as it looks the Bianconeri could be preparing for a summer exit of star midfielder and reported Chelsea target Paul Pogba.

The Zenit St. Petersburg man has reportedly been talking with the Italian champions for a while now, as shared by HLN's Kristof Terreur:

Speaking to Voetbalkrant.com (h/t Daily Express' Ben Jefferson), the Belgium international talked about Juventus greats Zinedine Zidane and Andrea Pirlo and refused to rule out a move to Italy:

"

Joining Juventus next summer? We'll have to wait until the summer transfer market, then we'll see. 

My youth idol was Zinedine Zidane, and I admire Andrea Pirlo a lot - he's one of the best players in the world.

"

The 26-year-old has long been linked with a move to Manchester United, via Terreur, but given his diverse skill set and his ability as a ball-winner, he would make for a natural replacement for Pogba, who seems increasingly likely to leave Turin at the end of the season.

His agent Mino Raiola continues to speculate about a potential transfer, talking about the many clubs interested in his client, via football writer Pete O'Rourke:

The France international has developed into one of the world's best young midfielders during his time with the Bianconeri, showcasing his vast potential at the 2014 World Cup and continuing to add to his highlight reel in Serie A.

Like Witsel in Russia, he plays an odd role in midfield that leads to some awkward statistics, per StatsBomb's Ted Knutson:

The 21-year-old is expected to be the prize of the 2015 summer transfer window, with virtually every top club in Europe linked with his services in the past 12 months.

Bleacher Report UK's Jonathan Johnson wouldn't be at all surprised if a club like Paris Saint-Germain made him the most expensive player in football history:

The Blues don't have a clear need for another midfielder, already fielding the prolific duo of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas, but Jose Mourinho has never been one to act in a reactive way in the transfer window—the Portuguese manager has made a career out of outsmarting the pack and always being one step ahead.

Perhaps that's why he's reportedly scouting 15-year-old Valencia centre-half Carlos Badal, according to the Daily Mirror's John Cross. The teenager has looked impressive in a series of youth tournaments and could now be the latest to join the Blues' already formidable youth squad.

Valencia's youth system has produced its fair share of talent in recent years, including highly touted full-back Jose Luis Gaya, and Badal certainly has the look of another future star.

He's the youngster scoring the second goal against Malaga in this video, the kind of long rush you don't often see central midfielders of his age make:

Badal is the kind of prospect Chelsea have stocked their youth squads with, and while it's unlikely we'd be hearing from him in the next half-decade should he decide to move to Stamford Bridge, a minor investment in a promising youngster is never a bad idea.

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