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According to a report in The Times written by James Ducker, Manchester City are once again being linked with a move for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, a player many believe to be the natural heir to Yaya Toure’s throne.



Pogba, who made his senior debut with Manchester United, has forged a reputation as one of the world’s best central midfield players since he moved to Serie A in 2012, winning two league titles and two Italian cups.



His performances for France at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil further underlined his credentials, with a series of top-class performances confirming his position as one of the fastest-rising stars in the game.



City, it seems, have highlighted Pogba as a top transfer target, and with 31-year-old Toure struggling to recreate his wonderful form of last season, where he scored 20 league goals and was voted the club’s Player of the Year, it makes sense for City to be monitoring the Frenchman’s situation.

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Pogba is the complete midfielder, full of pace, power, energy and an ability to drive forward and score goals. He’s perhaps the only player in Europe possessing the right mix of attributes to replace Toure in this City side.

The Ivorian is a force of nature on his day, a player capable of dominating a midfield battle and providing match-winning abilities, and City can’t afford to lose that facet of their game.



So often last season during the club’s title win, Toure was the catalyst for three points, and finding a younger player capable of offering the same dynamism is no easy task. Pogba, it seems, is emerging as the club’s primary transfer target on the basis of being one of the very few young players considered to have the necessary tools to fill the void Toure will eventually leave.



Pogba has hit 14 goals in 91 appearances at Juventus since leaving Old Trafford two years ago, and already has 18 caps for France.

Alex Ferguson’s strange reluctance to give him a chance in the United midfield, which had been substandard for some time prior to his emergence as a potential first-team player, looks increasingly misguided the more he plays for the Turin giants.



The one stumbling block is the homegrown quota. City’s next wave of recruitment seems certain to include players who tick the Premier League’s homegrown criteria, yet Pogba, despite his United links, appears to fall just short of fulfilling the measures.

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City know they need homegrown stars, and the club’s new academy, a state-of-the-art complex adjacent to the Etihad Stadium which opens in the next few weeks, is seen as the long-term solution to the problem.



However, it will take time for the academy to bear fruit, and in the meantime City need an injection of homegrown stars. With Micah Richards (loan), Joleon Lescott and Gareth Barry all having left in the summer transfer window, it has left City on the precipice of failing to comply with homegrown guidelines.

Dedryck Boyata was subsequently offered a new deal despite his limited first-team chances, and with James Milner’s contract set to expire in June, the club need to act.



Pogba, though, is too good to miss out on, regardless of his homegrown status. Like Toure, he can dictate proceedings. He can offer defensive solidity and attacking prowess. And he is improving all the time. Very few can replace Toure, but he most certainly could.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.