Manchester United are finally holding some aces in the Paul Pogba transfer saga as two significant developments have taken place.
The long-running battle between Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez, who wasn’t keen on acquiring the Frenchman’s services, and head coach Zinedine Zidane, who wanted his countryman at all costs – seemed to have been resolved, with Perez turning instead to Ajax’s Donny van de Beek to bolster his midfield options in the summer.
With Real Madrid effectively ruling themselves out of the race, it left the Red Devils facing a difficult situation: an unsettled player with one year left on his contract and only one club – Juventus – with both the means and will to buy him.
This left the Old Lady – and Pogba – with all the power and reports were already emerging of the Red Devils preparing themselves to slash their asking price and cut their losses in regard to the Frenchman.
This is excellent news for the Red Devils, as the Paris club have demonstrated in their signing of both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe that they have almost unlimited funds at their disposal if there is a player they are determined to land.
And with Mbappé potentially moving on to Real, les Rouge et Bleu will be desperate for reinforcements and a marquee signing from their own country could be exactly what the club needs.
The other significant development this week is that Juventus are reported to be close to replacing head coach Maurizio Sarri with none other than the Pogba-loving Zidane, who looks set to leave Madrid in the summer.
This effectively doubles the love for the 26-year-old in Turin and Pogba’s acquisition may even be offered by the club or insisted upon by the coach in their contract negotiations as they aim to clinch a deal.
The two developments leave the Red Devils in a much stronger bargaining position, with a bidding war now possible between two clubs that are absolutely committed to getting their man. For the first time in a long time, the club’s desire to get their money back on Pogba is once again looking like a realistic goal. (NAN)
