Details of Chelsea's rejected Pogba bid revealed

While it still seems pretty certain that Paul Pogba will not move from Juventus this summer, it's become even more certain over the last couple days that our interest in the ridiculously talented midfielder is very real.  With the numbers getting thrown around, my hope now is that we'll be able to compete next summer with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.  (Unless we pull off a major coup in the next week and a half...)

The numbers involved in any potential Pogba deal will be astronomical, no doubt, and probably record-breaking even.  Less trustworthy sources have already reported bids upwards of €100m, but here's Gianluca Di Marzio with details of a slightly more reasonable offer — especially if we're looking at it in terms of an opening move during longer-term negotiations.  According to the same report, Juventus continue to stand rather firm in their desire to keep the 22-year-old.

Chelsea made a concrete attempt with the player, but the €8 million net of taxes annual salary was deemed too low by his agent Raiola and Pogba's entourage. Chelsea offered €75 million to Juventus, which wasn't enough to to even make the bianconeri consider it.

-source: Gianluca Di Marzio

The €75m (£55m) would've represented a new club record (begone, Torres!), while the €8m net is roughly what we're paying our top earner, Eden Hazard at the moment.  Salaries in England are reported in weekly, rather than annual figures, and as gross payments rather than net, but after some back-of-the-envelope math, €8m net yearly salary equals £200k p/w gross.  We're really going to have to loosen those purse strings even further if we want to see Pogba in Chelsea blue.