The transfer which seemed liked a certainty 24 hours earlier has been thrown in doubt after reports in Italy claim that Juventus have rejected a world record €120m bid from Manchester United for their star midfielder Paul Pogba.
Reports from Football Italia claim that Juventus want over €130m if they are to allow Pogba to join his former club this summer. The news was also confirmed by the renowned journalist Gianluca Di Marzio who claims Juventus are willing to hold out for United’s last offer before deciding on Pogba’s future.
There are two points to consider here as to why Juventus are playing the hardball game with Manchester United. A) Mino Raiola’s €20m agent fee is yet to be settled which has allowed them time to stretch the negotiations and B) Real Madrid are not quite out of this transfer puzzle either.
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According to Marca, after losing out on Andre Gomes, who went to Barcelona, Real are willing to match United’s offer for Pogba and could even outbid them to sign the French midfielder.
It has allowed Juve to demand more from United in hope of getting the best price for their midfield asset. The general feeling in Italy is that Juventus do not need to sell Pogba either to cover for the spending they have done this summer.
They may be close to signing Gonzalo Higuain for €94m but they will pay Napoli over the course of two summers (€45m + €45m). Add to that, Serie A Champions are certain to cash-in on the likes of Mario Lemina, Simone Zaza, Roberto Pereyra and even Leonardo Bonucci in coming weeks.
This could mean a huge disappointment for Manchester United who looked certain to sign Pogba and wrap up their summer of transfer activities. Jose Mourinho has often claimed that his board are trying to sign FOUR specialist players this summer with three already arriving at the club.
Pogba is seen as that fourth and final piece of Mourinho’s jigsaw this summer but United are also linked with the likes of Blaise Matuidi and James Rodriguez.
After the recent snub from Juventus, United may want to switch their targets and look to match value with money, by going for a player who is more in the region of €25-35m and not someone who attracts a €120m worth of attention like Pogba has brought to the club in recent weeks.
We are still not certain as to which direction this transfer saga will take its next turn but as of now, Manchester United are in a slightly favorable position as they have indeed made an official bid unlike Real Madrid, who are still contemplating it.
