Paul Pogba is still keen on joining Real Madrid this summer, with his agent set to hold a meeting between the club and the player within the coming days.
According to MARCA, Paul Pogba hasn’t given up on his dream of joining Real Madrid. The Frenchman is one of Madrid’s prime targets in the ongoing summer transfer window. But, the Spanish giants aren’t willing to meet Manchester United’s hefty valuation.
However, that hasn’t deterred Pogba, who is ready to once again hand in a request to leave Old Trafford this summer. His agent Mino Raiola isn’t willing to give up and has set a meeting with the United hierarchy within the coming days, where the super agent will profess Pogba’s desire to join Real Madrid.
That being said, it will hardly change the dynamics of his transfer saga since it was already known Pogba was keen to switch to Santiago Bernabeu. The main issue Madrid are facing is that they can’t sanction United’s asking fee, which stands in excess of £150 million.
Besides, the former European champions have already eyed an alternative in the shape of Donny van de Beek of Ajax. The Dutchman has already confirmed that his club are in talks with Real Madrid regarding a potential switch to Bernabeu this summer. The potential addition of van de Beek will lay massive damage to Pogba’s hopes of a big-money move to Madrid.
Additionally, Los Merengues have also shifted their attention towards Neymar. It is believed that they are ready to indulge in a bidding way with arch-rivals Barcelona in the pursuit of the Brazilian superstar during the remainder of the transfer window.
As for Manchester United, they simply cannot offload Pogba at this point. Since the transfer market in England is already slammed shut, they won’t be able to sign a replacement for the Frenchman. And this could be hugely problematic for a team that has already lost Ander Herrera earlier this summer while players like Fred and Nemanja Matic haven’t been at their best.
Andreas Pereira is the closest the Red Devils can get to securing a like for like alternative for Pogba. But, even then Brazilian has emerged as a first-team option, of late, which means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have to deploy either Juan Mata or Jesse Lingard in the number ten slot of his 4-2-3-1 setup.
Hence, the Norwegian can’t afford to lose Pogba at any cost. So it’s likely United will persist with their price-tag for the midfielder, despite the fair efforts of not only Raiola but also Real Madrid.