Man Utd 'Name Price' for Paul Pogba as Juventus Chief Addresses Rumours of a Return to Turin
Manchester United have reportedly named their price if Paul Pogba is to be sold this summer, after a severe deterioration in the player's relationship with manager Jose Mourinho.
The saga is now drawing comparisons to the infamous spat between Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham in 2003 that saw the latter sold to Real Madrid.
It has been reported by different sources in recent weeks that the United board are both ready to sanction a sale to back Mourinho and are unwilling to let Pogba go. And, If there is to be a transfer out of the club, it is likely to be very reluctant.
The player himself, meanwhile, is apparently 'determined to stay', according to The Sun.
It was less than two years ago that United brought Pogba to the club for what was then a world record fee of £89m, and a report from the Daily Mail claims that it would take an offer of at least £120m and up to £140m to prise him away from Old Trafford.
That would ensure that United have made a sizeable profit on their investment, even if bringing the player back to the club he left as a teenager in 2012 is ultimately a failure.
Pogba's former club Juventus has been touted as a possible destination should he leave, but Juve chief executive Giuseppe Marotta has poured cold water on such gossip by seemingly ruling out returns to Turin for any players recently sold by the club, including Alvaro Morata.
Price would appear to be the biggest hurdle for the Italian champions.
"I do not believe in players coming back after having gone away, but there are also exceptions," Marotta told Italian broadcaster Mediaset. "They are professionals who left a good memory but the market valuations they have achieved represent a mirage for us."
According to ESPN, new French champions Paris Saint-Germain are 'in contact' with agent Mino Raiola. That report claims that Raiola has spoken to a 'number of clubs' and that contact with PSG has been ongoing for several months.
But given recent claims that PSG may have to sell €180m forward Kylian Mbappe over misgivings related to Financial Fair Play (FFP), whether they would be able to afford such a deal, both in terms of transfer fee and wages, remains to be seen.