Chelsea 'could have the edge' over Manchester City as Paul Pogba bidding war starts up again

Radja Nainggolan seems to be Chelsea's first and foremost priority when it comes to midfield signings this summer, but the situation around the Belgium international is hardly promising nowadays.  At best, negotiations have stalled; at worst, Nainggolan's (and Roma's) repeated assertions that he isn't going anywhere mean that we need to shift focus.

Then again, if the shift in focus puts Paul Pogba back into the crosshairs, that won't be a bad outcome.  Of course, the 23-year-old hasn't really shown any major signs of wanting to leave Juventus (and other than the potential of more money, he really shouldn't have any reason to do so), but rumors have once again picked up this weekend.

The Manchester Evening News claims Chelsea have emerged as "serious rivals in the race" to sign Pogba, who publicly remains commited to Juve but privately is considering leaving.  Apparently it is just down to the two English clubs at the moments, as both Real Madrid and Barcelona dropped out thanks to Pogba's world record £80m price tag, and Antonio Conte "could give [Chelsea] the edge" given his previous association with the midfielder.

It's unclear how much of this is sourced through local contacts in Manchester and how much of it is just a rehash of the rumor that GFFN pulled out of seemingly thin air on Friday.  If it's more of the former, this could be the start of something exciting and great.  If it's the latter, then it's more of just the same old, same old wishful thinking and daydreaming.  It's probably more the latter, right?