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While the English media is full of reports of Chelsea not giving up hope of signing Paul Pogba this summer — Team Granovskaia-Emenalo working overtime to pull off a minor miracle — Italian journalists continue to relay Juventus's firm denials of our advances. Here's just one report, from Sky Sports' Fabrizio Romano, with the rah-rah for the Old Lady.
The financial details of the rejection that Romano details, €75m transfer fee and €8m/year net salary, would indicate that this is still our initial offer being talked about (which Gianluca Di Marzio reported a couple days ago). However, Romano does reiterate that neither club nor player is really interested in making this deal happen this summer. Juventus's "curt" denials have a firm foundation in Pogba's apparent happiness, model professionalism, and staunch resistance in the face of an entire summer's worth of phone calls (though of the non-Mourinho kind) and transfer rumors. While that situation might change next summer, when Barcelona and others are expected to be involved once again, for now, Pogba looks untouchable and ungettable.
That said, if our crack team of negotiators is willing to throw more and more money at the problem — £70-72m/€95-100m is the latest rumored offer, with an improved salary packet as well — I suppose there's always a chance.
One week to go.