Barcelona and Chelsea lead in race to sign Juventus' Paul Pogba

Barcelona and Chelsea are the front-runners to sign Juventus star Paul Pogba, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.

The former Manchester United midfielder, who left Old Trafford for Turin in 2012, is arguably the most coveted young player in European football and a number of heavyweights want to prise him away from Italy.

Luis Enrique's Barcelona, Jose Mourinho's Chelsea and Laurent Blanc's Paris Saint-Germain are thought to hold the strongest interest in Pogba, but it is believed the 21-year-old would not seriously consider a move to Paris.

Barcelona have kicked off the bidding war for the Frenchman by making their first offer to Juventus.

Barca, who are subject to a FIFA transfer ban until January, would pay €70m (£51m) in instalments for Pogba and immediately loan him back to Juventus until the summer of 2016, the paper claims.

In the event FIFA lift the transfer embargo at the end of the season, the Catalans would pay an extra €10m (£7m) to add Pogba to their squad a year earlier.

Chelsea reportedly want to sign Pogba this summer, whatever the cost. The player is thought to be intrigued by the London club’s interest, although it is claimed he would prefer to move to Spain.

...SkySports