Paul Pogba plays down move talk, targets European glory with Juventus

The Juve star has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid - as well as Manchester United, where he played in the youth system - and his agent admitted that he won’t stay with the Bianconeri forever.

And when it emerged that he was learning Spanish, suggestions were rife that he was set to sign for Real - until in an interview with Juventus’ in-house television channel the 21-year-old revealed he’s been learning Spanish only because he’s good friends with Fernando Llorente.

The player added that he is very happy exactly where he is.

“Turin is very calm, and it’s good for me to relax and to focus,” Pogba explained.

“I like to sit and watch TV series like The Walking Dead with [Patrice] Evra, who is my Uncle Pat. Just like in Manchester [United] there’s the French group.

“Then there’s Fernando Llorente, I see him a lot. He’s my Spanish teacher.

“Sometimes we go to eat with the team, and I love spending time with them. I think it’s a good thing which helps the squad stay united and that’s very important.

“I’m find in Turin, I think it’s a city which keeps you focus on the job of playing football.

“In Milan there are too many things to do. There are many restaurants, there’s fashion week… many things to do.”

Despite being a relative youngster, Pogba has established himself as one of Juve’s key players, and the former Manchester United man puts that down to always focusing on the next target.

“In my mind there are always so many targets," he said.

“For example, if we win the League again there are other goals I want to achieve. We’ve never ‘arrived’, that’s the way I am.

“It’s true that the Juve players have helped me too. The environment at Juventus is always helpful for me.”

Read the original article on Football Italia - The ultimate website for English-speaking fans of Italian Pogba also said that he believes the Bianconeri can "go far" in the Champions League this season.

Juventus have dominated the domestic scene in recent years, winning three Scudetti in a row and currently sitting five points clear at the top of Serie A.

However, the Old Lady have not been able to translate that form into Europe, and were eliminated last year in the Champions League group stages, before falling at the semi-final stage of the Europa League with the final in their own ground.

This time, however, Pogba says it could be different.

“What are we missing? For every team, you also need a bit of luck. Then maybe we’re all doing very well, then suddenly two or three players get injured and everything changes," he said.

“I think we have the team to go very far.

“But then in football it’s not possible to say who will win. But I know we can go very far and can do very well.”

The former Manchester United man also discussed the Scudetto race, and insisted the Bianconeri are not competing with Roma, but rather with everyone.

“It’s not a battle with Roma, it’s a little bit against everyone. We want to be at the top.

“Now we’re at the top and we want to finish there. Continuing to be first, that’s the battle.

“If we’re a great team we have to think about finishing the season, and being champions and after that we can relax. We’re not champions yet, and we still have to work hard and be better."

As well as Manchester United and Juventus, Pogba has played in his native France for Le Havre, and discussed the differences between Ligue 1, the Premier League and Serie A.

“Starting with the French, that’s the most technical-tactical,” Pogba explained.

“There’s a little bit of both things. It’s not like in England. There it’s more physical, there’s a lot of intensity and I like that aspect, as well as the culture.

“In Italy it’s more tactical, the defending is better than in other Leagues. I believe that, because I’ve played in all three and I’ve seen that difference.”

This story always seems fuelled more by prurient media interest in the potentially huge transfer fees and player wages on offer outside Serie A rather than anything else. Pogba has established himself as the star man in one of the most consistently brilliant teams ever seen in Italian football, and their achievement in making the Champions League last-16 - where they face the eminently-beatable Borussia Dortmund - suggests that he's spot in his belief that the side can go far on the road towards Europe's top prize. He would be crazy to rock the boat just when it's speeding along nicely.