Reports: Juventus targeting Nemanja Matic as Paul Pogba’s replacement

After dealing with endless Paul Pogba transfer rumors for who knows how long exactly, there is something different to actually talk about for once. But it’s still a byproduct of the Pogba move to Manchester. It’s a simple question that we don’t yet know the answer to as the Serie A season gets closer and closer.

You know, the whole “Who’s going to replace Paul Pogba?” question.

Names have been thrown out there in recent days and weeks. Some names are good, some names are, well, not all that impressive.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, one of the leading candidates to replace is Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic, who reportedly didn’t meet with the club now managed by Antonio Conte to clarify what the 28-year-old midfielder’s current standing at the club is. (That’s probably because they were given two days of vacation after playing Werder Bremen on Sunday, but whatever.)

And it’s not like Conte has given any kind of reason for us to have thoughts of Matic actually leaving Stamford Bridge, too.

The new twist in this is that La Gazzetta dello Sport is saying Juventus could include striker Simone Zaza as a bargaining chip to bring Matic to Turin. Zaza — who has been rumored to leave Juventus seemingly from the second week after his arrival last summer going forward — was the subject of a different kind of transfer rumor on Tuesday, with Sky Italia reporting that Juve and Wolfsburg had a €25 million deal in place that would see the Italian striker head to the Bundesliga.

Of course, some folks who follow Chelsea aren’t exactly convinced that Matic is on the way out this summer. Nor would I when you consider that Zaza would basically be in the same kind of role as he is right now at Juventus.

What can we take out of all of this? As happy as I am that the Pogba exit rumors are a thing of the past, we’re about to hear nothing but the Pogba replacement rumors from here until Juventus either sign somebody or the summer transfer window closes.

What a time to be alive.