Real Madrid have contacted Manchester United, who are reportedly open to the idea of selling star player Paul Pogba in the summer.
According to The Sun, Real Madrid have opened discussions with Manchester United in the pursuit of Paul Pogba. The Frenchman has been identified as one of Zinedine Zidane’s top target this summer, and it is believed that the Madrid officials held talks with United when they were in London last week to complete the acquisition of Eden Hazard.
That being said, Manchester United are keen to profit from the £89 million they spent to sign Pogba from Juventus back in 2016. As a result, they have set a staggering asking price of £150 million for the Frenchman this summer – a fee Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is currently mulling over.
Real Madrid have been one of the busiest teams in Europe in the ongoing summer transfer window. The former European champions are keen to undergo a squad overhaul following a turbulent campaign. And they have already completed the signing of Hazard and Luka Jovic.
However, lack of reliable options in midfield remains a worry for coach Zidane, especially with Luka Modric struggling to play to his potential while the likes of Dani Ceballos and Marcos Llorente have failed to make a mark at the Bernabeu this past season.
As a result, Zidane is keen to sign a new midfielder, who can partner Toni Kroos in central midfield. Pogba, to that end, could be an ideal choice. The Manchester United midfielder is coming on the back of an excellent campaign that saw him become the most productive central midfielder in the Premier League. He also ended the season as the club’s top scorer with 13 goals.
From a tactical perspective, Pogba can be slotted alongside Kroos and Casemiro in Zidane’s 4-3-3 setup, where the Frenchman can provide the attacking impetus. And this will ideally make Real Madrid much more dynamic as well as effective in terms of their overall chance creation and ball distribution.
As for Manchester United, the departure of Pogba will serve as a massive blow. But, his sale could free up a lot of funds for Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer to land his desired transfer targets and build a squad around his footballing philosophy and vision. Eric Dier, for one, has been identified as one of the candidates alongside Harry Maguire.
But, the biggest win for United will be to sell Pogba anywhere close to the £150 million mark, which is insanely high for a player who has been incredibly inconsistent while most of his goals have come from penalties. And this is also something Real Madrid should be aware of, although Pogba will be better fitted and will have more freedom in their star-studded lineup.
Hence, it will be interesting to see how this transfer pans out, should it actually happen this summer.
