The Paul Pogba to United rumours are gathering more steam after newspaper reports in Italy suggested that the French midfielder had told Juventus that he wished to leave Turin. United have also reportedly agreed personal terms with Pogba, with the medio set to earn a whopping £220,000 a week (after tax!) at Old Trafford. That means United only need to agree a transfer fee with Juventus and while the Bianconeri are said to be reluctant to sell their biggest asset, it is expected that they will let him go for a fee of around 120 million euros.
United have tabled an initial 100 million euro bid which Juve have reportedly rejected, but the two parties are expected to reach an agreement soon. If the deal for Pogba, who is currently holidaying in Miami, goes through, he will be the world’s most expensive player (beating Gareth Bale’s record) and will also replace Angel di Maria as United’s most expensive signing. Di Maria, signed for £59.7m was a flop for the Red Devils, and they will be hoping that the 23 year old can have the same impact for them as Cristiano Ronaldo did for Real Madrid following his transfer to the Bernabeu
However, even at £100m, Pogba’s fee is lower than what United paid for Juan Sebastian Veron and Rio Ferdinand when one considers the transfer fee as a percentage of turnover for the year (Stats courtesy Twitter)
With the likes of Eric Bailly, Zlatan and Pogba (all well over 6 feet), Mourinho is clearly building an imposing team and United fans are excited to see how their side will fare in their pre-season tour of China. The Red Devils will face Borussia Dortmund and Pep Guardiola’s Man City in Beijing before travelling to Sweden to take on Galatasaray.
While Pogba to United is still not official, United fans believe its an all but done deal after Mourinho’s wife Matilde posted a pic of United’s tactics-board prior to her husband departing for Beijing. The image is blurry, but reportedly features Pogba’s name, adding fuel to the rumour mills.
The rumours have spread so quickly that some sites have suspended bets on Pogba moving to United. Ladbrokes, for instance, now even have Pogba at 6/4 to be in the United side to line up against champions Leicester City in the Community Shield. Not a bad time to check out some promotions on Ladbrokes in case you think it’s only a matter of when, rather than if, this transfer will be done.
On paper, this is a fantastic deal for Juventus. They picked up him on a free transfer from United back in 2012 and are now expected to sell him back to the same club for £100m. Some would argue that this is a sign of poor business sense from Ed Woodward and United- others say the Pogba deal will pay for itself, especially given the crazy television deals in the league and massive merchandise sales possibilities. Ronaldo to Real was an expensive transfer, but most Madrid fans today will feel that they got him for a bargain, given the impact he’s had. Pogba, like Ronaldo, is now entering the prime of his career, and could be taken in the same breath as the likes of Vieira and Keane when he’s done at Old Trafford.