Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Watch Felipe Anderson, Paul Pogba Rumours Continue

Chelsea are scouting Lazio Roma forward Felipe Anderson with an eye on a potential summer transfer move for the rumoured Manchester City and Manchester United target, according to the latest reports.

As reported by the London Evening Standard's Tom Collomosse, the Blues sent scouts to two matches from Lazio recently, looking specifically at the 21-year-old striker:

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Chelsea have watched Lazio forward Felipe Anderson as they prepare to strengthen their squad this summer.

The Blues are thought to have had representatives at Lazio’s recent 2-0 win at Torino, in which Anderson claimed both goals, as well as at the 4-0 demolition of Fiorentina on March 9. The Brazilian did not score in that game but it was one of his most impressive displays this season.

Manchester City are also believed to have been present, while sources in Italy indicated that Manchester United chief scout Jim Lawlor travelled to see the player in the 2-0 victory over Verona on Sunday, in which he also scored.

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Anderson has been one of the breakout stars of the 2014-15 campaign in Italy and recently signed a new contract, linking him with the club until 2020.

You may be wondering where all of the attention for the speedy winger is suddenly coming from. The Brazilian needed some time to get settled in after joining Lazio in 2013 but has been nothing short of amazing in the past few months, as shared by Selecao Brasileira:

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21-year old Felipe Anderson in his last 12 games: Goals: 9 Assists: 7 16 goal involvements. pic.twitter.com/VZ3NOwUZdS

— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStats) March 22, 2015"

Statsbomb's Ted Knutson shared some vital statistics, and he too was blown away:

When you put on the tape, you quickly notice his current scoring record is indicative of his talent, and not just the product of a hot streak. During his first year in Italy, he struggled to adapt to the league and life in Europe in general. As reported by The Guardian's Paolo Bandini, he put on a lot of weight as well, for one important reason:

"Because he did not know how to order anything other than a spaghetti carbonara and a fizzy drink when he went out for dinner."

No, really. Since then, he has emerged as Lazio's top performer, almost single-handedly guiding the club to third place in the Serie A standings, just one point behind rivals AS Roma. Back to Bandini, who wasn't ashamed to admit he'd rather watch Anderson than tune into Sunday's Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona:

Anderson is a phenomenal player, and it's no surprise most English top clubs are watching him at this stage. But all signs point to the 21-year-old staying in Rome for now, particularly if the club qualify for the Champions League. With the exception of a handful of players, just about everyone is for sale these days, but Anderson will be expensive.

And as a winger who needs space to operate in, he may not be the best fit for Chelsea right now. Anderson is still growing as a player, and letting him develop for one or two more years in Italy may not be such a bad idea.

Meanwhile, Metro's obsession with Juventus' Paul Pogba continues following Giuseppe Marotta's latest comments on his star midfielder. The Bianconeri director continues to tell everyone the club has no intention of selling the Frenchman, but he recently admitted they would be powerless to stop him should he choose to walk:

As reported by Hannah Duncan, he said:

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Pogba is still master of his own destiny, and if he chooses to leave then it will be hard for the club to keep him.

He’s given no sign that he wants to go away. The problem is when a player is offered a contract that can be two or three times higher than what he’s currently earning. We’re talking about a net €10m salary per season.

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Mind you, Marotta said Pogba would be hard to keep if he decides to leave, not this:

Marotta seemingly can't say anything without someone making a bigger deal out of his comments or twisting his words these days. When he was asked about the team's recent win over Genoa without the injured Pogba, he responded by hailing the side's spirit and that football is still a team sport, via Metro's Jamie Sanderson.

"We are here celebrating a victory achieved by a team, a team that played without Pogba. This means football is a team sport and not just about individuals."

Or, as Metro's Twitter account put it:

Pogba is one of the world's top young talents. His name will be linked to just about every top club in Europe, and stories will continue to be printed because potential future Ballon d'Or winners sell newspapers.

But right now, nothing is going on. Pogba is injured, and as both he and agent Mino Raiola continue to state, they want to stay with Juventus, per Tuttosport (h/t the Daily Mirror's James Whaling).

Until Pogba or Raiola explicitly state they're looking to leave Turin, expect to hear plenty more similar stories, as Moratta tries to fend off potential suitors and the rest of the continent's elite clubs lick their chops.

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