Chelsea Transfer News: Rumours on Paul Pogba, Marquinhos

The agent of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is "99 percent certain" his client will stay in Turin for the foreseeable future, seemingly putting an end to a persistent stream of transfer rumours linking his client with a host of clubs, including Chelsea.

As reported by the Daily Mirror's James Whaling, Mino Raiola told Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport he could facilitate a move for the 21-year-old midfielder in a heartbeat, but Pogba has not requested such a thing:

"

We made a pact with Juve: Paul doesn’t have to leave.

I spoke to president Andrea Agnelli, directors Pavel Nedved, Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici, so they all agree. The club doesn’t need the money.

At this moment the situation at Juve is ideal for Pogba. We would only leave if a situation emerged that was favourable for all concerned.

[...] If I just whistled, I’d sell Pogba tomorrow to PSG or City in a heartbeat. But Paul did not tell me to find him another club.

What are his chances of staying? As of today it’s 99 per cent. Juve agree with our approach, which is that they will only sell if Paul asks to leave and there’s a suitable offer. Of course, it could become one per cent, it depends on the market.

"

The flamboyant Raiola has made a career out of moving his most valuable clients around, most notably Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he has spent the past few months talking up Pogba.

The chatter has really picked up since the end of the winter transfer window, with a ton of top clubs reportedly interested in his services. According to Bleacher Report UK's Jonathan Johnson, certain clubs like Paris Saint-Germain will be willing to do whatever it takes to ensure a transfer at the end of the current campaign:

Much of the chatter has been either the result of Raiola talking to the media or certain newspapers putting a spin on his words. For instance, the Independent reported the agent's latest comments in an entirely different light:

With Raiola, it's always important to read between the lines. The Italian emphasised how badly so many teams want his client, and he was adamant the situation could change "depending on the market."

Still, as FourFourTwo's Adam Digby pointed out, it's not like him to talk down a transfer, so fans of the Bianconeri should be happy hearing the news:

For Chelsea, who are reportedly among his many suitors, this actually wouldn't be such bad news at all. The duo of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas has been excellent all season, and with at least six or seven clubs vying for Pogba, the Blues would have had to spend a lot of energy and cash on a potential transfer.

Instead, they can focus on other, more pressing areas should Pogba stay put, knowing they can return with another offer in 2016.

According to the Daily Star's Harry Pratt, Chelsea have their eye on another young budding star: PSG's Marquinhos, who reportedly left quite the impression on Jose Mourinho during their meeting with the Blues in the UEFA Champions League.

The young centre-back moved to the French capital from AS Roma in 2013 and has worked himself into the rotation for Les Bleus, often starting at right-back alongside the central duo of David Luiz and Thiago Silva.

He recently claimed several clubs were vying for his services in the summer of 2014, via football writer Pete O'Rourke:

The 20-year-old has heaps of potential and cost PSG a pretty penny when he first moved to France, but he doesn't always get to play in his favoured central position due to the presence of Luis and Silva.

While this has led to plenty of transfer rumours, Marquinhos has actually given no indication whatsoever that he's looking for a transfer. As shared by GianlucaDiMarzio.com's David Amoyal, he's saying the exact opposite:

PSG were punished for not abiding UEFA's financial fair play regulations last season, so it's not outlandish to suggest they would be open to moving most of their players so long as they could earn a nice profit with a transfer.

That's the main issue with Marquinhos, who initially cost Les Parisiens £25 million, per Pratt. Prying him away from the French champions will cost teams roughly £40 million, and with the emergence of Kurt Zouma, Chelsea don't have to pay such a massive fee for a player they don't really need.

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