Paul Pogba to Chelsea: Mourinho won't rule out £60m bid for Juventus star
Jose Mourinho refused to rule out Chelsea making a £60m bid for Juventus star Paul Pogba and insisted Willian will be staying at the club.
Chelsea have admired the France international for over a year and are looking to buy a central midfielder before the window closes on September 1.
Standard Sport understands Juventus are reluctant to sell their prize asset and have shown their intent by giving him the No10 shirt worn by club legends Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Baggio to name just three.
The speculation has continued though, especially as Juventus have expressed an interest in Juan Cuadrado, Oscar, Ramires and Willian at times this summer, leading to suggestions players could be used as part of the deal.
When asked if he was interested in Pogba, Mourinho said: “He is a Juventus player. I cannot speak about a Juventus player.
"I know (Juventus coach) Massimiliano Allegri was speaking about Oscar and Ramires all summer, but I don't do that about Juventus players. Only Allegri can speak about him, not me.”
Mourinho previously claimed that apart from John Stones, he would only pursue another player if another was sold first.
Pedro’s arrival from Barcelona has raised question marks over the future of both Willian and Cuadrado.
Mourinho added: “Every player is different. Willian does things that Pedro doesn't (do). They're completely different.
“But it's a big lie of the market when I read that we want to sell Willian, or some club want Willian. Maybe they want, but they won't get him.”
Cuadrado, who has failed to make an impact since joining from Fiorentina, could also still have a future due to Chelsea’s size of squad.
Mourinho explained: “I read something today, also Mr Louis Van Gaal saying, that he has 28 players and he's very happy with that. With Pedro, we have 23. Not 27 or 28. Just 23. So let us be calm and see what happens.
“Will it be one in and one out? Maybe, maybe. But it's not a compulsory thing. I can perfectly have one more player than is normal for us. That's not a problem.
“One more option is not a problem. You have injuries, you have suspensions, different competitions to play.
“Hopefully we can progress in the domestic cups too and there are matches to play. If you have one more winger in the group, it can be a problem for the wingers not getting the playing time they want, but for me it's not a problem.”
Article Mourinho won't rule out £60m Pogba bidChelseaJose MourinhoJuventusPedroWillianPaul Pogba to Chelsea: Mourinho won't rule out £60m bid for Juventus star PublishedImageMedium widthFriday, August 21, 2015 - 14:27Highly rated: Paul Pogba On