Speculation is mounting that Palermo’s Argentine attacking midfielder Javier Pastore will decide his future in the 48 hours, with his destination a choice between Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain.
At just 22 years old Pastore is one of the hottest properties in world football at this moment in time and a whole host of major European clubs have been linked with a move for the talented midfielder. Though to many he is still a relative unknown and £37m sounds like a huge price tag.
Yet it is believed that both Chelsea and PSG have tabled bids for the player and Palermo club President, Maurizio Zamparini, has suggested that a deal could be completed in a matter of hours rather than days.
So what is it that makes new Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas want to spend such a vast amount of Roman Abramovich’s millions on such a young man? He was part of a Palermo team that narrowly missed out on European football last season finishing 8th in Serie A but since joining the club in July 2009 he has been their stand out performer and proved to be a valuable asset as a goal-scoring midfielder.
Since his transfer from Argentina’s Huracan, for what seems a bargain £5m, he has made 68 appearances and scored fourteen goals in the process. The suggestions are that Villas-Boas is determined to get his man as Chelsea lack creativity in the middle and Pastore is seen as a far more attainable target then Tottenham’s Luka Modric.
Though it is very much a two horse race for the players signature, with Qatari millions funding PSG and Leonardo as their new director of football the Parisian club will present a very attractive proposition for the young Argentine.
Chelsea though would seem to have the upper hand as the player has been quoted in the past as saying he will only leave Palermo for a bigger club and he would turn down the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona as he does not want to sit on the bench.
The question however does have to be asked, is paying £37m for a relative unknown to much of a gamble to take? He has limited experience of European football and the English game is very different to that of its Italian counterpart. Would he be able to cope with the pace and physicality of the Barclays Premier League and does he suit the style of football Chelsea play?
He does however have international experience, Pastore was part of the Argentina squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under the guidance of Diego Maradona, and more recently part of the squad that made a disappointing quarter-final exit in the Copa America.
There is no doubting that he is a player of superb quality, and the decision that he now faces regarding his future could be vital, does he opt for the nouveau riche PSG or a Chelsea side that under a new young exciting coach aims for European domination? One thing is certain with his next move Javier Pastore could be about to announce himself as a world star.
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