Widely regarded as one of the best prospects in world football and the golden boy of a rejuvenated French national team, Paul Pogba has a number of top clubs vying for his signature as they aim to steal him from the hands of Juventus. A regular scorer of outrageous goals, sublime skill and a talisman at one of the world’s most prestigious clubs, the fight for Pogba will certainly bring an interesting conclusion.
Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, who is also the agent of Zlatan Ibrahimovć, has recently flirted with the prospect of his client leaving Serie A. However, he insists the Frenchman is in no hurry to leave and would only do so if a large sum of cash were to be stumped up:
“If the right time comes this summer, then it will happen. If it is not the right time, he could stay for another year or two. He will beat the transfer record. If there is one Mona Lisa in the world, and she is for sale, it will be a record price.”
There is no doubt that a player that possesses such a vast array of qualities, as Pogba does, could indeed fetch a record figure with transfer fees continuing to rise. Former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, who won four trophies in his time in West London (2008-12), has urged the midfield powerhouse to join the blues in the near future:
“Paul technically knows everything and he has the qualities to play anywhere. My preference is for him to join Chelsea, who have very strong players and the financial power of [Roman] Abramovich. Also Real Madrid, who are one of the biggest clubs in the world, if not the greatest. He would grow a lot under Carlo Ancelotti.”
Whether Pogba decides to leave the old lady remains to be seen, but speculation surrounding his future has heighted in recent weeks. Pogba’s future may well depend on Juventus’ performance in this season’s Champions League or the amount of money left in the Juve coffers as they seek to rebuild an aging side. The spine of Massimiliano Alegri’s team is one of the oldest in Europe and may force the Juventus hierarchy to sell their prized possession with Buffon aged 37, Chiellini aged 30, Barzagli aged 33, Lichsteiner aged 31, Evra aged 33, Pirlo aged 35 and Tevez aged 31.
Despite Real Madrid judged to be the leading favourites in the pursuit of Pogba, courtesy of SkyBet, Pogba may well end up in the Premier League. According to Mino Raiola, talks between himself and Real Madrid appear to have ended for the time being giving the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City a significant boost:
“Real didn’t want to pay 10 million euros for him and just a year ago refused to pay 30 million euros for him. We spoke in Qatar. ‘Why pay 30 million euros if soon he can come for free?’ they asked. If they want Pogba, they can call me. I’m not going to call anyone there. He’s worth more than 100 million euros, but the price will be set by the club that buys him. I’m in contact with all of them, except Real Madrid. My name is not Jorge Mendes [the Portuguese agent who represents players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Ángel Di María and James Rodriguez], who manages Real Madrid far too well.”
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