Here we go again
Another day, another round of stories linking Paul Pogba with a move to Barcelona.
Several reports now claim the World Cup winner wants out of Manchester United after becoming increasingly disillusioned with life at Old Trafford following his falling out with Jose Mourinho last season.
It was claimed earlier in the week that Barcelona had already made a(n almost insulting) offer to United for the World Cup-winning midfielder with further speculation suggesting Pogba had even agreed personal terms with the Spanish champions.
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. Although this point has been widely reported, it hasn’t been enough to completely kill off talk of the 25-year-old heading to the Camp Nou.
An exclusive from Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail goes as far as claiming that Pogba is ‘desperate’ to complete a move to Barca – a point which he has made several teammates and staff aware of. He is also said to have made his intentions clear in a text sent to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in the last couple of days.
Despite this, United aren’t for budging. Pogba is likely to stay put at Old Trafford, at least for now.
Although speculation linking the club with a move for Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has returned in the last 24 hours, it’s highly unlikely United would attempt to rush through a deal for the Serbian with under 48 hours remaining of the transfer window – especially not for the £138m pricetag being quoted.
United are still in the hunt for a new central defender, with Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld understood to be Mourinho’s number one priority. Should a move for the Belgian be completed, it’s unlikely he’ll make his debut when United take on Leicester City in the Premier League opener on Friday evening.
