Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Paul Pogba, Victor Campuzano Rumours

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri doesn’t believe any of his top players will leave the club during the summer, suggesting Paul Pogba won’t be joining Real Madrid anytime soon. However, star youngster Victor Campuzano is reportedly close to joining Los Blancos.

As reported by Jack Gaughan of MailOnline, Pogba is wanted by a host of top clubs around Europe, including Real Madrid and Barcelona. But Allegri believes Juventus are on the same level as Europe’s elites and doesn’t see why any of his players would pursue a transfer, per Goal’sNicholas McGee:

I don't see why players should leave us.

Juventus are now at the same level as the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. Our own plans on the transfer market? The club has always assembled competitive and winning sides.

The solid spine of our experienced group, combined with our talented youngsters, enables us to enjoy success. Our first aim for 2016-17, other than enjoying a strong Champions League, is sealing what would be a legendary sixth straight title.

Director Beppe Marotta provided similar comments just a few days ago amid rumours Chelsea and Manchester City were also interested in a move, revealing the Bianconeri turned down the Citizens last year, per Mediaset Premium (h/t Jamie Styles of the Daily Star).

The 23-year-old midfielder enjoyed a fantastic 2015-16 campaign after a rough start, playing a key role in Juventus’ run to a fifth straight Serie A title. He struggled initially, a logical result after the club sold Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo during the summer, but by the end of the season, Pogba once again ranked among Europe’s finest midfielders.

He added yet another element to his impressive set of skills, becoming an exceptional passer over the course of the season. It showed in his statistics, per OptaPaolo:

Pogba was already a gifted dribbler, tackler and long-range shooter, and his passing ability will only increase his value. The constant transfer speculation shouldn’t come as a surprise, as there are few teams in the world who wouldn’t want to add the France international.

Here’s a look at some of his highlights, per Giovadieci Football Channel:

Juventus seem determined to keep hold of Pogba, and with several youngsters emerging as stars of the future—Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro and Daniele Rugani—the Bianconeri have every right to believe they’ll be able to compete with Europe’s finest next year.

It will be difficult to turn down Los Blancos, who tend to get whatever they want, but all signs point toward Pogba staying in Turin for now.

Meanwhile, Marca’s D. Pifferer (via Enda Keneally) reports Espanyol youngster Campuzano is on the verge of joining Real, as his agent Francisco Valdivieso has been in talks with the club.

The 18-year-old forward refused to sign a new contract with the Catalans and was held out of this year’s Copa del Rey as a result, and a split between Campuzano and the club has seemed inevitable ever since.

The teenager, who is reportedly a long-time Real supporter, will join Castilla next season.

Why Chelsea's Oscar Would Be a Great Transfer Option for Juventus

Now what? After being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Bayern Munich, Juventus were reminded once again of the gulf that exists between them and the truly great European clubs.

Indeed, while the Bianconeri have shown they can overcome the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Manchester City, their defeat to the Bundesliga giants—and the loss to Barcelona in last season’s final—shows that coach Massimiliano Allegri’s men still need to improve.

Understanding where they can make that leap is difficult, with the defence, midfield and attack all looking individually strong yet failing to compete when faced with the very best teams. Gazzetta dello Sportoffered one interesting hypothesis last week, with the Italian newspaper suggesting Juve may look to sell Paul Pogba and overhaul their squad.

The report (h/t Gazzetta World) linked the French midfielder with a €100 million move away this summer, and that fee could be used to sign the likes of Uruguay international striker Edinson Cavani andHenrikh Mkhitaryan of Borussia Dortmund.

Yet one name that has been constantly linked with a move to Turin is Chelsea playmaker Oscar, and Sportsmediaset (h/t Football Italia) insisted Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici travelled to Stamford Bridge to watch the Brazilian in action against Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago.

If that was indeed the case, the club official would have been disappointed to see Oscar only introduced as a 77th minute substitute as the English side were eliminated, but it is clear the 24-year-old has many admirers within the Juve management team.

That undoubtedly includes Mr Allegri, who spoke openly of his admiration for the Chelsea man when the club were linked to him last summer, listing him among a number of creative players during an interview with LaRepubblica.

“I would really like a player who can invent a match and is never predictable. I need that wild card within a balanced, structured tactical scheme,” the coach said back in June (h/t ESPN FC). “I like Real Madrid's Isco a lot, and Oscar but I also like two young Italians, Domenico Berardi and Federico Bernardeschi.”

It is relatively simple to understand why Allegri would like theBianconeri to add such a player, particularly to a squad that already boasts the midfield intelligence of Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira.

With the pace of Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado out wide, a creative star like Oscar could well prove to be a superb acquisition, despite failing to match his 2014/15 form during the current campaign.

His 35 appearances in all competitions this term have seen him weigh in with just eight goals and three assists, yet statistics show he has maintained similar numbers across the board elsewhere, averaging 1.1 key passes in league play this season compared to 1.3 last year, courtesy of WhoScored.com.

The same source shows he has connected with 80.6 per cent of his 40.3 passes per game in the Premier League, while he also works hard defensively—as he would be expected to in Serie A—to make an average of 2.2 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game in all competitions.

He also seems to have the ideal mindset for a tactically flexible coach like Allegri, expressing a willingness to do whatever he is asked—an approach that would be essential given the Juve boss’ love of switching between formations.

“I like to play wherever the coach wants me,” Oscar said in a May 2015 interview with Squawka’s Daniel Anwar. “As long as I can play with the ball at my feet and look around, help balance the side and create chances, I am happy. That’s what I’m there to do.”

That, combined with his vision, technical attributes and overall quality, makes Chelsea's Oscar a great transfer option for Juventus as they look to join European football’s elite group of teams.

Man City courts Godfred Donsah

English giants Manchester City could be considering a move for Ghanaian youngster Godfred Donsah, according to the dailymail.

The 19-year-old has been playing regularly in Serie A for the past two seasons, firstly for Cagliari before joining Bologna last summer, Raw but talented teenage midfield prospect with bright future ahead of him.

The Ghana youth international is among a list of players being monitored by incoming manager Pep Guardiola.

Donsah is among the likes of Juventus Paul Pogba, Ilkay Gundogan, Lymeric Laporte, John Stones, Sergio Busquets, Thiago Alcantara, Alvaro Morata and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who have been listed for a potential move to the English giants.

The Black Satellites midfielder has been impressive for Bologna this season scoring twice for the Club in the Italian Serie A.

A strong performance for his Club in the later part of the season could earn him an opportunity to play in the English Premier League next season.

Work culture at United was like being on vacation: Pogba

Midfielder Paul Pogba reveals the work ethic at Juventus "made me feel like Manchester United was a vacation".

The France international spoke about his different football experiences in his country, England and Italy.

"People ought to know that it is not easy at Juve," Pogba was quoted as saying by football-italia.net on Saturday.

"There is a culture of work that is different to anything else abroad. I was at Manchester United and I can tell you it made me feel like being on vacation in comparison to Juve," the 22-year-old added.

Pogba, who joined Juventus in 2012 from United, said that four consecutive Seria A titles are a reflection of how the Turin-based players work hard.

"We work so hard here, because all the Scudetti were down to hard work," he reflected.

Paul Pogba says life at Manchester United was like 'being on holiday'

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has described his time at Manchester United as like being on holiday when compared to the work he does at the Italian club.

The France international left Old Trafford four years ago after making just three senior appearances and becoming frustrated at the lack of first-team opportunities handed to him by then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Since joining the Bianconieri as a free agent, Pogba has gone on to become one of the sought-after players in world football. In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, he has claimed that the club’s intensity and emphasis on hard work is one of the major reasons behind his improvement.

Man Utd winger Depay the 'worst signing of 2015'

"People need to know that nothing at Juve is easy," he said. "There is a different culture of work compared to elsewhere. I was at Manchester and it seemed like being on holiday.

"Here we work so much. All these titles, we didn't steal them. It was by working right to the end."

The 22-year-old, who has regularly been linked with a move to Manchester City and Barcelona among other elite clubs, revealed that he enjoys playing as some of his suitors on the Fifa video game series.

"I pick Juve, Barca, Madrid and City," he said. "I even play by myself and sometimes get annoyed because the Pogba in the video game plays better than me."

Pogba also cited City midfielder Yaya Toure, as well as Barca’s Andres Iniesta and Bayern Munich’s Arturo Vidal, as key influences and the midfielders he watches in order to improve his game.

Cristiano Ronaldo Names Neymar, Paul Pogba, More Among His Top Young Footballers

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has picked out Barcelona's Neymar, Juventus' Paul Pogba and Manchester United's Memphis Depay among his top five best young players in the world.

His Los Blancos team-mate Martin Odegaard and Chelsea's Eden Hazard round out the list, with Ronaldo, 30, highlighting the 16-year-old Norwegian's huge potential at such a young age, per BT Sport (via MailOnline's Luke Augustus):

"You see many players with potential, I will mention Odegaard of Madrid for example, at 16 he's still young, but you can see he's a very good player. Hazard for example, the No. 7 of Manchester, [Memphis] Depay, is a good player too, Pogba and maybe Neymar."

Neymar, Pogba and Hazard have already established themselves among the world's elite, with the trio all having excellent seasons in 2014-15.

Hazard, 24, was the player of the season in the Premier League as Chelsea won the title. Per Squawka, he is currently enduring a surprising barren spell, but his quality is undeniable:

Neymar truly came to the fore with Barcelona last season as they won the treble, and he has continued to improve as he has taken up the mantle at the Camp Nou in Lionel Messi's injury-enforced absence.

Still only 23, Neymar is the captain and talisman of the Brazil national side and is likely to be one of the world's best players for years to come.

Similarly, 22-year-old Pogba was key as Juventus won the domestic double and got to the Champions League final in 2014-15, and the Serie A giants have valued their star midfielder at €100 million (£71.7 million), per Marco Ruiz of Spanish outlet AS.

Odegaard and Depay, on the other hand, have yet to prove themselves as true stars on the world stage.

For the Norway international that is understandable considering his youth, but he is under a lot of pressure having made such a high-profile move to the Bernabeu for £2.3 million.

Depay excelled as top scorer in the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven last season, but he has failed to truly make his mark since he took up the No. 7 shirt—formerly worn by Ronaldo—at United following his £3 million summer move.

Even Ronaldo took his time to bed in at Old Trafford, though, and Depay has certainly shown flashes of brilliance that show he has the potential to become one of the world's best.

Why Paul Pogba Will Spend 2 More Seasons at Juventus

If any combination of footballer and agent have successfully executed their presumed plan for world domination, Paul Pogba and Mino Raiola warrant gold medals of some distinction.

At one point surplus to the Manchester United first team under Sir Alex Ferguson, the French midfielder has blossomed into arguably the world's best under-23 player. While his client hones himself at Juventus, Raiola has used the rapid ascension expertly.

No longer an out-and-out prospect but now a legitimate world-class option, Pogba's value has skyrocketed over the past three seasons. This has meant a larger profile and, in turn, copious rumours about his leaving Italy for pastures deemed greener. 

"Give youth a chance," is the lesson of Paul Pogba.

The 22-year-old, though, sees Juventus as a green pasture.

They gave him an opportunity at a massive club—whereas United failed—and have been more than accommodating in terms of matches, minutes and money (all while employing a venerable list of midfield talent).

Pogba, rightly so, feels a sense of loyalty to the Old Lady, as he recently discussed with Juventus' official broadcasting network (via Football Italia):

Juve are the first team where I started to play. They are the team who allowed me to go to the [France] national team, the team where I scored my first goal, so now they are the club of my heart.

They let me prove myself in football, and had the confidence in me to put me on the pitch.

How much do I love Juve out of 10? 10! Since I've been here, I have always given my best for the club, for the shirt, for everything. I play at 100 percent, always.

Paul Pogba will leave Juventus; the question is "when," not "if."

Loyalty is often mentioned but scarcely found.

As a general rule: One is not loyal, nor beholden, to an entity—rather paycheques. Most loyalty evaporates like fog when the sun breaks once money is removed, but we cannot discount the minute percentage of relationships that display true allegiance.

Pogba's connection to "the club of his heart" cannot be easily broken, and only the Frenchman can answer how much money per week is enough for him to leave Juventus—but his agent has an idea about the transfer fee.

Raiola, as reported by the Sun's Carl Long, told reporters: "There were three big clubs with [£60 million] on the table, or a little more including add-ons, which took the total to [£70.6 million]. But a deal was not concluded because Pogba didn’t want to leave and Juventus wanted him to stay for at least another year."

Given Juventus' iconic "No. 10" shirt, surely Paul Pogba will wear it longer than one season.

Summer 2016 seems the natural conclusion to this episode, but assumptions can be misleading.

Next summer's transfer window, however, will be invariably muddled by the European Championship. France host the tournament, meaning Pogba's plate should be full. Transfers are likely to happen early, though, which will set the table for chaos.

The three clubs Long's piece hints were chasing the young central midfielder are Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea; Raiola excluded Barcelona from proceedings, asserting the Catalan giants buying Pogba has "no chance."

All have the finical wherewithal to capture the 22-year-old, and should he become available, the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich or even Manchester United cannot be discounted either.

Moving during an already-chaotic period seems like unnecessary clutter. There's no real harm in waiting until 2017.

Raiola is waiting for the ideal time to move his prized asset, and Pogba apparently wants to further repay the debt he feels to Juventus for his career.

Next summer might be too early for both wishes to be fulfilled.

Summer 2017 would give Pogba five years in Turin, a healthy portion for any career, and ample time to weigh each potential next step without the added burden/pressure of carrying a nation's hopes on his shoulders.

In the end, he might find leaving Juventus makes no sense and decide to stay longer, or discover a club that further matches his ambitions.