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What's the story?
Barcelona president, Josep Bartomeu revealed that the Blaugrana failed to compete with Manchester United for the signature of Paul Pogba.
In case you didn't know...
Pogba is among the best midfielders in the world at the moment and he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a then-world record fee of £89 million in 2016.
The 26-year-old has played 134 games in all competitions for the Red Devils thus far and helped the Manchester-based club win one EFL Cup and solo Europa League trophy. Pogba was the UEFA Europa League Player of the Season 2016–17.
However, the French international failed to perform consistently at the Old Trafford despite his undeniable talent and received a lot of criticism for his poor attitude.
He has been linked with a move away from the club in the last few months and we could see him moving to greener pastures during the summer transfer window.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to ESPN, Barcelona president, Josep Bartomeu revealed that the Blaugrana made a contact with Juventus to sign Paul Pogba in 2015.
In the summer of 2015, Paul Pogba was playing in Turin and we simply told Juve that, if one day they decide to sell the player, we would be interested.
"When they sold the player, they told us what the offer would have to be and we couldn't afford that amount of money at the time.
He further elaborated:
"So he went to United, and he's making them better as a team because he's one of the stars of the world of football right now."
"What I have to recognize is that United, in the last few years, have created a very good group, good players that are coming through. I am sure next season they will be candidates for the Premier League, and this year for the Champions League."
What's next?
Barcelona will play Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals tie on April 11. Meanwhile, the Spanish giants look set to lift the La Liga title once again this season.
