Report: Pogba move
July 28, 2016
The transfer of the 23-year-old will cost the Red Devils around 133 million euros ($147 million) and be the single biggest sum paid for one player following record moves to Real Madrid for Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. English newspaper "The Sun" reported a Juventus source claimed a deal between the two clubs was done.
Under new coach Jose Mourinho, United have been on a spending spree this summer, capturing Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Paris Saint-Germain. But after sustained negotiations with the Italian champions, United will make a huge statement of intent by signing one of the most sought after properties in European football.
Left on bad terms
Pogba was on United's books as a teenager, but left in 2012 having only made seven appearances for the club. The Frenchman was dismayed at the lack of opportunities under Sir Alex Ferguson who, in one case, decided to shift players out of position before giving a chance to Pogba.
He joined Juventus and Pogba won four successive Italian championships, two Italian Cups and reached the Champions League final in 2015. The 23-year-old has been central to his side's outstanding dominance in Italian football, and that was almost backed with the European Championship this summer in France.
Pogba scored one goal at the Euros, but was arguably Les Bleus' key player against Germany in the semi-final. The midfielder played the full 120 minutes of the final in Paris, but was left with a runner-up medal following a 1-0 defeat to Portugal in extra time.
Manchester United shrugged off stiff competition from Real Madrid, the Spanish powerhouses who appeared to lead the race for the player with the influence of Zinedine Zidane as head coach. "When you're Madrid, you want the best. Anything can happen until August 31," said Pogba's compatriot.
Although the transfer fee is closer to 109 million euros, Pogba's agent Mino Raiola is expected to land a commission payment of around 23 million euros. Yesterday Juventus smashed the Serie A record transfer fee to land Gonzalo Higuain for 90 million euros.