Chelsea Transfer News: Andrea Pirlo Sparks Major Rumours with Juventus Exit Talk

Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo has spoken about his long-term future potentially being away from Serie A, with reports suggesting Chelsea are keen on the serene playmaker.

According to George Bellshaw of Metro, the Blues are “long-term admirers” of the Bianconeri star and would not be put off by his advanced age. As noted by the aforementioned piece, speaking with AS, the 35-year-old has admitted he could move on at the end of the campaign:

"

Ending my Juventus story by pocketing the Champions League would be a dream come true. But I won’t stop playing, I’ll go on as long as I have the same great desire to keep training every day.

But I wouldn’t go to another Italian team. Juventus will be my last Serie A team, whatever happens. MLS could be an idea but for the moment, I don’t have anything, Juve are the only thing on my mind.

"

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The positives of landing a player like Pirlo would be obvious for the Blues. Not only is the Italian still one of the finest manipulators of the ball around, but he’s almost incomparably experienced and has the discipline to flourish under Jose Mourinho’s set of principles.

As noted by Squawka here, Pirlo is a thoroughbred champion too:

The Chelsea boss has proven he has no issues bringing in players who are in the twilight of their careers either. As the signing of Didier Drogba illustrated last summer, the Portuguese values experienced figures in his squad, and Pirlo would be nothing but a positive influence both on and off the field, should he rock up at Stamford Bridge.

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Nonetheless, it’s not a deal Chelsea should be pursuing. While Pirlo is unique in his ability to manage games with a swagger, the Blues currently have a crop of quality options in central midfield. In addition, there are some exciting young players making a major impression in the club’s revered academy setup.

As we can see in this tweet from Bleacher Report UK, the Blues’ young stars have won the FA Youth Cup the last two years in succession:

If Pirlo was to come in this summer, the development of players who operate in similar positions—like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Lewis Baker and Nathaniel Chalobah—would be stunted.

For all of Mourinho’s admirable managerial traits, blooding youth players is a facet of his coaching make-up that he needs to improve upon. It’s clear the players are there to tap into from the academy, and bringing in someone like Pirlo, while tempting, would be a betrayal of the sterling work done by the club to form a clutch of quality burgeoning players.