Chelsea do not need Paul Pogba. OK, a better phrasing of it would be that Chelsea can make do without the French international; there aren’t many clubs who can turn their noses up at Pogba considering his immense talent.

Chelsea have been the latest club linked with a move for the £60 million-rated midfielder, who’s no longer just a talent waiting for a breakout season, but a 21-year-old who can legitimately claim to be one of Europe’s leading midfielders at this time.

Juventus know what they have on their hands. The club are also well aware that they’re vulnerable to losing the Frenchman, maybe not guaranteed to be this summer, but at some stage in the future. He’s that good. Two years on from his transfer to Juventus, Manchester United are still cursing their myopic approach to handling the situation with the youngster. Others in the football world continue to receive ammunition to aim at the club, with Pogba never ceasing to build on his last emphatic display.

He’s been one of the stars of this World Cup with France. The French as a whole have been a surprise package, but Pogba has been sensational for the majority of it. There isn’t a team in Europe who wouldn’t benefit in some way from Pogba’s presence in their squad.

But Chelsea aren’t in desperate need of the Juventus midfielder. In the space of six months Jose Mourinho has managed to complete deals for two of the best midfielders in their respective fields: Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas. There’s also been talk of Toni Kroos making the switch to Stamford Bridge, while Oscar was considered a favourite of Mourinho for much of last season.

On paper, that already looks to be one of the best central midfield departments in the Premier League, if not the best. It’s a group that has been perfectly blended to combine the vision of Fabregas and the power of Matic. A potential third in the centre of the pitch could be selected from a host of options, including Oscar and Ramires.

This Chelsea team aren’t too far away. In fact, once all their deals are done this summer – at least the ones we know are pending – it will be difficult to identify a clear weakness.

What it doesn’t necessitate is the signing of a player valued at £60 million.

Chelsea have been incredibly shrewd movers in the market over the past year. They’re selling high and replacing with pieces they actually want or need. They’ve parted company with Juan Mata, David Luiz, Kevin de Bruyne, and likely Romelu Lukaku soon – all fantastic players, but the squad are no worse after those sales. If anything, they’re starting to look like a far more cohesive unit. On paper, of course.

Pogba is an exceptional talent who has every right to go on and become the best midfielder in the world. We shouldn’t just look to his effectiveness on the pitch for either his club or national side, but also appreciate the joy of watching a player as gifted as him.

But teams do need to draw the line between what is needed and what can be overlooked, either due to financial ramifications or the personnel in an already strong squad.

Chelsea would be doing no harm to themselves by adding yet another midfielder – and let’s not forget that Atletico’s Tiago will reportedly sign for the club too, while Marco van Ginkel has shown a lot of promise in his limited appearances. Quite simply there are other options beyond Pogba, options that can be justified with greater ease.

Chelsea would be stronger with the Frenchman in their side, no doubt about it. But they’re also far from a weak outfit without him.

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