Juventus Transfers: 3 Alternatives Should the Old Lady Sell Paul Pogba

Since arriving at Juventus in 2012, Paul Pogba has turned into the most sought-after player in the game.

The biggest names in European soccer, from Barcelona and Real Madrid, per the Daily Mirror, to Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, per talkSPORT, have been linked to moves for the 23-year-old Frenchman as the transfer window approaches.

The general consensus of the world media is that Pogba's departure from Juve is a matter of if, not when. Between the tendencies of the richest clubs to get their man and the diminished status of Serie A, which is still in the process of recovering from the double whammy of the Calciopoli scandal in 2006 and the Italian financial crisis that began in 2008, a sale is generally seen as a foregone conclusion.

The Bianconeri, though, have shown a determination in recent years to prove to the world they are not a selling club. On Monday, sporting director Giuseppe Marotta told Rai Radio 1 (h/t Football Italia): "We consider Pogba an important element, certainly for the next few years. ... The club doesn't plan on selling him and he hasn't asked to leave."

It has seemingly been Juve's policy to keep their best players unless they have expressed a will to go. Even then, though, there is the possibility of a club with oil money coming out of their ears making an offer so indecent it simply cannot be refused.

If that were to happen, what would Juve do to make up for the loss of Pogba's massive impact on the team? It would certainly be difficult for one player to replicate his production, but someone would have to try.

Which players could Juventus bring into the fold during the transfer window to replace Pogba if he were to leave? Here are three possibilities the team could consider.

Mario Lemina

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A fully-developed Lemina could go a long way toward replacing Pogba.

Though we said this article was looking at players Juventus could bring in from the outside, keep in mind the fact Mario Lemina is on loan with the Bianconeri and still belongs to Olympique Marseille.

This columnist has touched on Lemina before, making the case that Juve should make the 22-year-old Gabon international's loan stint permanent before the April 30 deadline to lock in his €9.5 million price tag.

The decision has been complicated by the fact Lemina spent a good amount of the season unavailable through injury. He's only seen action in Serie A eight times—not a large sample size to make such a determination.

But what Lemina has shown should be enough to convince the Bianconeri to keep him. He's an excellent passer, has some defensive bite and can dribble and score. His excellently taken goal against Atalanta in March, when he turned a pair of defenders inside out before finishing from 22 yards out, was a preview of what he could do when he fully develops.

Lemina's skill set basically makes him a baby version of Arturo Vidal, who was instrumental in the first four years of Juve's ongoing stranglehold of the Scudetto. He may not be an exact replica of Pogba, but a new version of Vidal would be an asset to any team—and could be a foundation for Juve's midfield for years to come.

As an added bonus, he would come at a price that would allow the team to use the vast majority of the income from a prospective Pogba sale to improve the team elsewhere.

Yaya Toure

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Toure's City contract is set to expire in 2017.

Yaya Toure has been a major part of Manchester City's rise to prominence in England over the last half decade. Having arrived in 2010, he has been a major part of the Etihad Stadium side's two Premier League titles and three cup triumphs (one FA Cup and two League Cups).

The Ivorian is out of contract in 2017, and it's generally expected he won't be staying at the Etihad beyond the end of the season. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (h/t Football Italia) has reported that the player's camp has reached out and offered the player to Juventus.

The idea of Toure going to Juve isn't too far-fetched. Marotta has a history of success signing players entering the twilight of their careers, bringing the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Fernando Llorente, Sami Khedira as free agents in recent seasons. City would likely be happy to get Toure's wages, which Mark Ogden of the Telegraph reported could be worth as much as £240,000 a week, off the books.

But there are some potential drawbacks to this signing. At 32, Toure has this season failed to show the same ability to take games by the throat in the manner that defined his most successful periods with City. He'd also probably command a hefty wage, and Juve likely still aren't equipped to have multiple high earners on their payroll.

At the end of the day, this would be a stopgap solution, getting Toure's last effective years while the club either developed a longer-term solution from within or bought one a few years down the line. If that's the way Marotta elects to go, Toure is probably the best option.

Marco Verratti

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Verratti would move Marchisio back to his old role.

When Marco Verratti was playing for Pescara between 2008 and 2012, he was close to making a move to Juventus. It was thought he would serve as an apprentice under Andrea Pirlo for a season or two before making the team's regista position his own.

It never happened. According to Verratti himself in a 2013 interview with Radio Deejay (h/t Football Italia), he opted to move to Paris Saint-Germain because they offered him better assurances about playing time.

Verratti has since turned into one of the best midfielders in Europe, and over the course of the season, the possibility that he could be a makeweight in a Pogba deal has been reported by the likes of Mundo Deportivo (h/t ESPN FC).

This may seem an odd replacement, as Verratti and Pogba have different games. Pogba is much more involved in and around the penalty area, whereas Verratti is more of a deep-lying playmaker.

But if Verratti were to arrive, he would likely take the regista position. That's manned by Claudio Marchisio, but Verratti's presence would allow Il Principino to return to the box-to-box position in which he was so effective during the initial phase of his career once he returns from his recent knee injury.

Unlike the first two men on this list, Verratti would cost a lot of money. Juve could use funds from a Pogba sale to make a high offer, but when it's to a team as flush with cash as PSG, how effective would such a tactic really be? Financial fair play might be Juve's best friend in this scenario, as that kind of windfall would probably go a long way toward putting PSG more in line with UEFA's regulations.

A Verratti move is nowhere close to imminent, but he would be a fantastic signing. Moving Marchisio back to his natural position would be about as good a direct replacement for Pogba as could be had, and Verratti himself is one of the best registas in the world.

If he were to finally pull on Juve's black-and-white stripes, it would be a huge coup for the Bianconeri.