Maybe Manchester United supporters don’t need to worry about Paul Pogba leaving after all.
Pogba was linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, with Barcelona reportedly very interested in adding the French midfielder to their squad.
While the transfer deadline for English teams has already passed, Spanish clubs have until the end of August to bring in new signings.
It had even been suggested that Barcelona were prepared to take the so-called Philippe Coutinho approach to their pursuit of Pogba, meaning that the Catalan club was willing to wait until January to get the deal done.
But according to Barca director director Ariedo Braida, the defending La Liga champions are unlikely to make an offer for the recent World Cup winner.
“I don’t think we’re going to move for Pogba, but he’s a great player,” he told Radio Sportiva.
Pogba has done little to distance himself from rumours that he was unhappy playing under United manager Jose Mourinho, following up the below cryptic tweet by claiming that “there are things I cannot say otherwise I will get fined.”
I’ll always give my best to the fans and my teammates no matter what’s going on. #pogfeelings pic.twitter.com/naT9hLHomG
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) August 10, 2018
The likelihood of Barcelona bringing in any new faces in the next two weeks could well depend on whether Rafinha remains at the Camp Nou.
Braida hinted that the Brazilian midfielder will more than likely remain a Barcelona player beyond the summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Inter Milan.
“Rafinha, quite probably, will stay at Barcelona,” he said. “He’s someone with a lot of quality, a player that can decide games with the way he handles the ball – he can go far.
“Last year, he came back from a bad injury, but when he recovered he did great things at Inter. He’s a player who has impressive technical skills and he suits Barca very well.”
