Manchester United are prepared to break the bank in order to land Paul Pogba according to reports from the British media.
Pogba has been on the radar of the top European clubs over the summer, something that Juventus have used very well to push up the asking price for the 23-year-old.
Earlier this week, reports had surfaced, claiming that Manchester United have already bid £80 million for Pogba. However, Juventus were said to be unwilling to let their star man leave cheaply, and are not prepared to let Pogba go for anything less than £100 million.
Now, however, a report in English newspaper Daily Mail claims that the club are prepared to match Juventus’s asking price of £100 million for Pogba.
Ironically, it was Manchester United, who had let the Frenchman go for free after his contract ran out in 2012. The Manchester United academy graduate had moved to Juventus as a free agent after this. The Daily Mail report also suggests that the Red Devils are willing to offer Pogba a bumper contract that would see the Frenchman earn £250,000-a-week.
We Are Manchester United; we prolly let Pogba go for free to sign him for a World record fee just to show our financial prowess. ??? #ManUtd
— evangelist G (@AOStephenVII) July 3, 2016
La Liga giants Real Madrid are also said to be chasing Pogba’s signature, as their manager Zinedine Zidane has been impressed by his fellow countryman. However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who is largely believed to be in charge of transfers at the club, is not sure about Pogba’s abilities, as the 23-year-old has failed to raise any eyebrows so far in the ongoing 2016 European Championship, in France.
According to a recent report, Real Madrid are not prepared to pay more than £60 million for Pogba. Since the £100 million price tag is said to have warded off most other suitors like PSG and Manchester City, Real Madrid’s disinterest in the Frenchman is believed to have put Manchester United in the driver’s seat with regards to signing Pogba.
Is Pogba overrated?
Paul Pogba is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the current generation. The Frenchman has almost won it all with Juventus, bagging four consecutive Scuddetto titles and also winning back-to-back Coppa Italia trophies in the last two years with the Bianconeri. The Frenchman also came close to winning the Champions League in 2014/15, after he helped his side reach the final of the competition.
However, Pogba has, as of yet, been unable to impress with his performances for the French national side at the 2016 European Championships, giving rise to doubts, as to whether he can perform well in a league where the pace is faster than the Serie A.
In fact, even in the Serie A Pogba has not been as impressive last season, with Radja Nainggolan arguably emerging as a better midfield prospect than the Frenchman.
The Belgium international had shown better passing and shooting abilities than Pogba last season. To add to that, Nainggolan covers more ground than Pogba, making him a more useful player. While Nainggolan has also been in demand this summer (with Chelsea reportedly being interested), it would be interesting to see whether these two Serie A stars resume their midfield battles for Premier League supremacy in the future.
