Paul Pogba could, but almost certainly won’t, be leaving Manchester United in the coming days
Plenty of reports have suggested the French midfielder was the subject of a derisory bid from Barcelona earlier in the week, a move he is said to be ‘desperate’ to make having sent a text to United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in the last 48 hours.
Well aware of Pogba’s commercial value and the difficulty in finding a replacement at such a late stage in the transfer window, United are said to have rejected Barca’s offer.
Despite the fact that United’s ‘not for sale’ stance has been widely reported, it hasn’t been enough to completely kill off speculation that Pogba might still be on his way. In fact, as The Mirror now points out, it’s been claimed in the Italian press that Barca may not be the only club exploring the possibility of signing the World Cup-winning midfielder.
Juventus, the club Pogba played for in between his two stints at Old Trafford, are said to be keen to have him back. Like Barca, they too are said to be willing to make a cash-plus-player offer for the 25-year-old, only their bid may be slightly more tempting for United.
Although it’s not known how much money the Italian champions would put forward in the deal, it’s claimed they would be willing to allow Miralem Pjanic head in the opposite direction.
Contradicting such claims, it’s worth pointing out that Gazzetta dello Sport have reported Pjanic is poised to ink an improved offer with the Turin club.
Pjanic joined Juve in the same summer that Pogba returned to United. Despite being one of the Old Lady’s most consistent performers since his arrival from Roma, the Bosnia Herzegovina midfielder has been linked with moves to several clubs this summer, including Chelsea and Manchester City.
Juventus have already added Cristiano Ronaldo to their ranks this summer and are thought to be keen to turn domestic dominance into continental success in the near future. Pogba, at least reportedly, is a player they’d like to help them win their third European Cup. Persuading United to let him leave, however, may prove difficult.
