Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba will have to take a pay cut if he wants to seal a dream move to Spanish heavyweughts Real Madrid in the summer window.
As per a report from ESPN, World Cup winning midfielder Paul Pogba will have to reduce his current wage demands if he is to seal his dream transfer to Real Madrid from Premier League giants Manchester United in the upcoming transfer window.
Having left Manchester United for Juventus, Pogba returned to his boyhood club in the summer of 2016 for a club record transfer fee of £89 million, but has failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed on him. The 26-year-old has shown glimpses of supreme abilities every now and then, but hasn’t been able to do it consistently enough, much to the chagrin of the United supporters.
Pogba’s fraught relationship with Jose Mourinho was believed to be the reason for him underperforming and it seemed true as the Frenchman looked like a man reborn once Ole Gunnar Solksjaer took over from the Portuguese in December last year. However, over the past month or so, Pogba is back to his old frustrating ways, which has coincided with his team’s poor run of form.
With just two wins in their last seven Premier League fixtures, Manchester United are pretty much knocked out of contention for a top-four finish, as they remain rooted to the sixth place in the table. And Pogba, as per the report, will try to leverage the lack of Champions League football to force through a move to Real Madrid.
The midfielder has spoken publicly of his dream to don the white jersey of Real Madrid, while Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane is a huge admirer of his compatriot’s abilities. With the club needing to revamp the midfield that has severely underperformed this season, Pogba is seen as in ideal target.
However, with investments needed in all areas of the pitch, Los Blancos want to keep their wage bill in check and as a result are unwilling to meet Pogba’s current wages of £290,000-a-week.
Recent reports had claimed that the 26-year-old had already told close friends that he expects to join the La Liga heavyweights and that Manchester United would not stand in the way of the transfer. However, Solskjaer has stated in the press that he expects the Pogba to stay at the club next season.
Manchester United are open to the possibility of offering their star midfielder a new contract in order to stave off interest from Real Madrid. However, should the midfielder decide to force a move away to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Red Devils are likely to demand a transfer fee in the range of £155 million.
Pogba is contracted with Manchester United till 2021, with an option of an additional year. However, the 26-year-old, who was surprisingly named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, seems to have his heart set on a summer switch to Real Madrid. It remains to be seen if he is willing to take a pay cut to complete the transfer or if he ends up staying at Old Trafford next season.
