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After the explosive comments recently made by Paul Pogba that he can not say certain things publically for the fear of getting fined by the club, the media has gone absolutely berzerk. Speculations have been doing the rounds in tabloids that this may very well be the very last season for the World-Cup winning midfielder in a United uniform.
Some have even gone so far as to claim that the Frenchman has been holding out for a move to another club in the upcoming January Transfer Market. The World-Cup winning midfield maestro, once the most expensive player in the world, is apparently not happy with the style of play at Manchester United, as well as the lack of desire shown by his team-mates in crunch situations as was the case when United lost embarrassingly to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The constant rants by Mourinho and the Portuguese habit of washing dirty linen in the public eye have certainly hurt his reputation. Of late his off-field antics have generated more publicity than his displays in a United t-shirt. Pogba has been continuously singled out by football pundits and some of the United greats, with many of them disapproving of the occasional on-off tendency of the Frenchman while on the field. Paul Scholes has even gone so far as to say that he looks disinterested while playing for the Portuguese coach.
Mourinho -- to his credit -- has tried to diffuse the situation by publicly supporting his playmaker and trying to placate Pogba. He even handed him the captain's armband in the absence of club captain Antonio Valencia. How much of this has satisfied Pogba is unknown, as he still looks to jump the sinking ship should an opportunity arise.
This might very well just be a ploy by the Frenchman to end a pay parity between him and the club's highest-paid player - Alexis Sanchez who reportedly earns close to £450,000 per week. However, the news of Pogba ready to leave United has reached the ears of some of the world's wealthiest clubs and they would definitely be prepared to pounce on the opportunity should such a situation is to arise. Even United have looked for replacements should their most prized-possession leave the turf of Old Trafford - once again.
Here are the clubs with the capability of signing the former Juventus star:
#5 Manchester City
This seems like to be the unlikeliest of scenarios, that United would sell their star player only to bolster their cross-town rivals. But the one thing that we have learned in recent times is that anyone can buy any player should they be willing to pay the right amount.
Ed Woodward, unlike his predecessor David Gill, is not a die-hard football fan but is a shrewd businessman, and given his recent antics he would not be the one to cower from fan pressure should he get good value for his player.
On the other side of the pitch, Pep Guardiola remains a big fan of the Frenchman and has even dared to put in an inquiry regarding the availability of their bitter city rival's star midfielder. Although it would be a miracle to convince their rivals, should they pull off this transfer then they will certainly become the hot-spot destination.
This will also be a sucker punch for the remaining Premier League and will certainly be a statement signing for City should they land the world-cup winning midfielder, as they recently lost the race to sign Sanchez and Fred (to United) and Jorginho (to Chelsea). It would finally be cold revenge for the Blue half of Manchester.
#4 PSG
Signing Pogba will not come in cheap but who cares about money when your name is Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaïfi, the member of the royal family of Qatar? PSG has time and time again proven that they will certainly be an important team -- and will somehow find ways to overcome FFP regulations -- should a world-class player become available in the transfer market.
They recently have proven their financial capability to the whole world by spending over $400 million just to buy Neymar and Mbappe. They will certainly look to make a huge bid should they have the chance to bring their local hero back to his home country. With Qatar set to host the 2022 World Cup, the addition of Pogba will enhance the social reach and approval rating of Qatar in social media and will prove to be a sound business decision by the Qatar Investment Group.
The Paris based team could even offer Adrien Rabiot -- who could act as a direct replacement for Pogba -- and Draxler -- who will be an upgrade over Lingard -- in a player plus cash deal to fill in the void somewhat in the United squad. For Pogba personally the opportunity to play alongside superstar-studded PSG team - Cavani, Neymar, Mbappe ( whom Pogba has called an exceptional phenomenon), Silva, Verrati among others - will certainly be an attraction, as well as the opportunity to play in his home country could certainly play a huge role should Pogba sign for PSG.
#3 Real Madrid
If someone in the whole wide world has a fetish for signing a "Galactico" then it certainly has to be Florentino Perez. The Godfather of Club Football has certainly had quite the summer as Real Madrid let go of their all-time leading goalscorer in Cristiano Ronaldo while bringing none of the big names to replace their talisman.
Although Madrid has a lot of talent in the center midfield, no one has the type of hype and aura around them that Pogba has. Perez certainly loves these sort of flamboyant players and will not miss a chance to sign United's midfielder should an opportunity present itself.
He can very well offer Toni Kroos or Raphael Varane (both players actively courted by Mourinho) as make-shift weights in the deal to placate United's supporters. This deal may also bring in a return to the old amicable relationship between the two clubs after a bitter blame game over a faulty fax machine which prevented United's Number 1 - De Gea - from joining Real Madrid.
Though Madrid can very well do without another world-class midfielder, their club president will certainly not leave an opportunity to bring in the highly popular midfielder and will go to any length if Lopetegui's first season does not go according to plan.
#2 Barcelona
The Catalan Club has time and again courted Pogba to come and play at the Camp Nou. Recently, Suarez and Pique have both promised to welcome Pogba with open arms if the Frenchman was to leave Old Trafford.
Suarez has publicly stated that the World Cup-winning midfielder is desperate to fight for glory at a level that Manchester United cannot reach at the moment. This is perhaps true to a certain extent as the most coveted trophy he has won in his two and half seasons at the Stretford End is Europe's B-grade continental competition - The Europa League. That certainly isn't the Frenchman's top career achievement.
He can be a perfect replacement for Rakitic, who has been courted by Inter Milan and is seemingly keen to join the Italian side at San Siro, or the aging Busquets. He will really relish the opportunity to play the Barcelona Way, which suits his style of play. Playing with the best player in the world, Messi, and the world's most unselfish striker, Suarez, will just be icing on the cake.
Camp Nou can ultimately be the place where the highly touted midfielder finally achieves his true potential by playing with a group of winners.
#1 Juventus
The club where Pogba actually has his heart set for is the Turin based club, Juventus. That is the place where he had the most successful period in his footballing career. He has let his agent , the notorious Mino Raiola , know his desire to play alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Dybala.
The supporters of the black and white jersey of Juventus will certainly embrace the ambitions of their club as this will certainly help the reigning seven-time Scudetto holders in their pursuit of winning the Champions League. Allianz Arena will certainly lay out the red carpet for their beloved son, as Pogba was part of the Big 3 midfield of Juventus (alongside Arturo Vidal and Pirlo) as together they laid out the foundation blocks for the Juve Empire.
Pogba even guided the Italian club to a Champions League final where they ultimately lost to a superior Barcelona and would now probably like to redeem himself with his former club, given that Juve is now a much more balanced organization. On their side, Juventus can offer United Miralem Pjanic in return plus cash, and the Bosnian midfielder will certainly soothe the bruised egos of many a Manchester fan as he has been nothing short of amazing in his time in Italy.
The Frenchman has the Italian side in his heart and will look to complete his love-affair with the Turin club and complete the fairy-tale story with a perfect finish.
