Barcelona appear to be keen on signing Paul Pogba, with talks with the Manchester United midfielder reportedly being planned.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Real Madrid seem to be ending their interest in Paul Pogba following the solid early impression made by Eduardo Camavinga. Mino Raiola is now set to open talks with Barcelona over a move for the Manchester United midfielder.
Paul Pogba rejoined Manchester United from Juventus in the summer of 2016 and has since been on a topsy-turvy ride at Old Trafford. The turn of the year, though, has been kind on the French international, who has arguably been the Red Devils’ best player so far in 2021.
The 28-year-old has started the new season strongly as well, having delivered seven assists in six appearances across all competitions so far. However, Manchester United are a precarious situation over the future of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, who has entered the final year of his contract with the club. Such a situation has alerted Barcelona, among others.
Barcelona hold a long-standing interest in Pogba, having previously been keen on signing him from Manchester United without really making a move for him. However, with the possibility of becoming a free agent cropping up for the French midfielder, the Blaugrana could be in a position to finally secure his services.
The Catalan giants do have the need to sign a midfielder as well, having chosen not to replace either Ilaix Moriba or Miralem Pjanic in the first-team setup. With Riqui Puig a bit-part player for Ronald Koeman, the first-choice trio of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will have to shoulder even more burden in the Barcelona midfield this term.
However, it is important to note that Busquets is approaching the final phase of his career, which in turn makes it imperative for Barcelona to bolster their midfield unit. To that end, Pogba is a viable target for the club, with his agent Mino Raiola set to begin discussions over a potential move next summer.
In fact, Barcelona can initiate negotiations over a Bosman move as early as January if Pogba has not signed a new deal with Manchester United. However, if Manchester United do end up tying him down to a new contract then Barcelona’s interest could effectively end, amid their financial woes. As for Real Madrid, their pursuit of Pogba might be ending soon, as per the report.