Paper Round: Paul Pogba ‘welcome back’ at Juventus, Eden Hazard resumes flirtation with Real Madrid

Paul Pogba would be welcomed back at Juventus, says midfielder Miralem Pjanic – as quoted in the Mirror. Pogba has endured a tumultuous relationship with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, and has been linked with a return to the club he left for Old Trafford, for what was then a world record £89m fee.

“The club has signed some amazing players and are thinking of improving the team even more. He would be welcome again here,” Pjanic reportedly told Rai Sport.

Paper Round’s view: Barely a week goes by without Pog-back to Juve making the news. No surprise, really, but you really have to wonder what will make push come to shove. He’s out of the team currently; perhaps being omitted from Sunday’s game at Liverpool would tell him it is indeed time to go. How much that would cost is another matter entirely.

Eden Hazard has once more spoken of his desire to move to Real Madrid. A number of papers have picked up on the Chelsea forward’s quotes to RMC, in which he said he did not want any regrets at the end of his career.

“It’s a decision I’m going to make, I do not know when, but I’ll make it. Me, you know me, I’ve always loved Real, even before (Zinedine) Zidane, we’ll see what happens. As I said, I’m already finishing this year with Chelsea, I still have a year of contract after this year, we’ll see.”

Paper Round’s view: It will happen sooner or later, but you get the impression Hazard may be waiting to see how Real’s managerial situation will play out. Antonio Conte may have reportedly turned the job down, and Santiago Solari may have signed a deal until 2021, but the shelf-life of a Real boss who fails to deliver silverware is not long, so Hazard may want to see who he’s dealing with come the summer.

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The chances of Frenkie De Jong leaving Ajax next summer is 95 per cent according to the player’s father, as quoted by Voetbal Primeur, via the Mirror. John De Jong claims Barcelona would be the best climate for his son, who is attracting interest from Europe’s biggest clubs. The Dutchman reportedly has a price tag of 75 million euros.

Paper Round’s view: The suitors are lining up, and the 21-year-old has arguably the biggest decision of his career to make before the end of the season. Money may well talk, but let’s hope he chooses somewhere that will aid his development, because the midfielder clearly has the potential to be one of the world’s best in his position.

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Chelsea have reportedly held talks with Napoli over a proposed move for right-back Elseid Hysaj. The Daily Mail claims Chelsea want the Albanian, who is valued at £45m but is yet to sign a new contract at the Italian club. The 24-year-old is said to be keen to link up with former coach Maurizio Sarri once more.

Paper Round’s view: It has worked so far with Sarri bringing Jorginho along with him to Stamford Bridge. It would be intriguing to see what Hysaj can bring to the Premier League – particularly if he costs £45m.