Paper Talk: Pogba snubbed £62m Chelsea switch

Paul Pogba: Stayed at Juventus over the summer

Paul Pogba: Stayed at Juventus over the summer

Paul Pogba reportedly rejected Chelsea over the summer, while Andros Townsend and Mathieu Debuchy could be forced to leave Tottenham and Arsenal respectively.

POGBA ‘REJECTED’ CHELSEA
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Juventus powerhouse Paul Pogba turned down Chelsea this summer after the Turin giants agreed to sell the France international to Chelsea in a £62million deal, which would have seen Oscar move to Serie A.

Pogba, who famously quit Manchester United back in 2012 after refusing to sign a new contract, was not impressed though and even an offer of £167,000 a week and a call from Jose Mourinho wasn’t enough to sway Pogba into returning to England.  So on the back of the failed bid for John Stones, that’s a couple of custard pies for Jose this summer.

The 22-year-old looks sure to move on in the next 12 months or so, but you can’t help feeling that La Liga’s big guns Barcelona and Real Madrid will have a major say over where Pogba ends up.

TOWNSEND FORCED OUT

Spurs winger Andros Townsend is thinking of quitting White Hart Lane in January in a bid to get regular first-team football, according to the Daily Mirror.

The 24-year-old has been struggling with a ankle problem and has not featured for Spurs this season, but the England man is well down the pecking order with the arrivals of Clinton N’Jie and Son Heung-min with a move away in the January window looking more than likely. Spurs were trying to offload Townsend as part of the deal to bring Saido Berahino to the Lane, but that deal never materialised with Spurs unwilling to stump up the reported £25million that West Brom wanted.

WBA could well make a move for Townsend when the transfer window reopens again in January. Aston Villa, Sunderland and Leicester all enquired about the Leytonstone-born wideman and are all set to rival Albion for his signature.

DEBUCHY PONDERED MOVE

Arsenal full-back Mathieu Debuchy says he considered leaving after losing his place to Hector Bellerin.

“Let’s say leaving crossed my mind. But I want to be at Arsenal and take my place,” Debuchy told the Daily Express.

The Former Newcastle full-back only arrived at The Emirates last summer for £12million as a replacement for Man City-bound Bacary Sagna. The 30-year-old has struggled with ankle and shoulder problems which allowed Bellerin an opportunity and the 20-year-old took full advantage securing his place in Arsene Wenger’s first XI.

With Bellerin injured, Debuchy started in the home defeat to West Ham on August 9, but hasn’t played since and his opportunities look bleak. Whether the France international, who was sub for Les Bleus in their 1-0 win over Portugal on Friday will want to play second fiddle to Bellerin with the European Championships around the corner is doubtful.

HAMMERS TALKED TO ZAZA

West Ham held talks with Juventus striker Simone Zaza before the close of the transfer window closed, according to the Daily Star.

The Hammers were one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window with Victor Moses, Nikica Jelavic, Alex Song and Michail Antonio among the players that Slave Bilic added to his squad and 24-year-old Italy striker Zaza was a reported target. The former Sassuolo man arrived at Juventus in July after the Turin club exercised their option to sign the player, whom they jointly owned, for 18million euros.

The Hammers most probably had Zaza on their radar, but whether they ever got as far as talking to the former Sampdoria man is unlikely and as soon as Juve registered their interest any prospective move to Upton Park was as good as dead.

AND THE REST

  • Barcelona will offer Neymar £500k a week to ward off interest from Manchester United.
  • Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says the club turned down a “sensational” bid from Manchester United for 25-year-old German attacking midfielder Thomas Muller (The Sun)
  • France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 28, says he almost left Tottenham for Manchester United during the transfer window (Daily Mail)
  • Everton had a loan move for Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev, 24, turned down before the transfer window shut (Daily Star)
  • PFA boss Gordon Taylor says it is a ‘bit of a worry’ that Chelsea have so many players out on loan (Daily Mirror)
  • Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Wayne Rooney turned down Manchester United twice as a teenager (The Sun)
  • Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev says Manchester United could have signed Neymar for the fee they paid for Anthony Martial (Daily Mail)