Juventus have been handed a double boost in their efforts to re-sign Paul Pogba from Manchester United this summer.
That’s according to Gazzetta Dello Sport, who explain how a combination of a lack of interest from Real Madrid and Adrien Rabiot’s situation could help them bring the Frenchman back to Italy.
First, Madrid. Reports this week have indicated that Florentino Perez is unwilling to sign Pogba, despite Zinedine Zidane making it clear he wants him for some time, with the economics of the deal unfeasible at this time.
That, say Gazzetta, is ‘no small advantage’ for Juve, as it takes a competitor off the table in the race for the Manchester United midfielder.
Madrid were their main competitors for his signature, with Inter Milan currently only in the background, and should they now be out it would ‘pave the way’ for Juve to make their move.
Their departure from the bidding would also cause the auction to ‘deflate’, with United demand of €70m ‘evidently getting weaker’ according to the newspaper.
They explain that United could sell Pogba for €25m and avoid a loss as his fee has largely been amortised over the four years he’s now been at the club and with fewer suitors, it becomes harder to ask for a significant transfer fee.
Not that the deal is financially viable at this time, given Pogba’s wages.
The Frenchman’s wage packet is too high for Juve and would remain so even with tax breaks in place to attract top talent to Serie A.
It means there are ‘still many knots to untangle’ with Manchester United still ‘very defensive’ in terms of negotiating.
One way to open things up may be including Rabiot. The midfielder arrived on a free from Paris Saint Germain in the summer but has not had a happy first year in Italy.
He was ‘expecting more’ from his time with the club and as such his mother, who acts as his agent, has been in contact with other clubs about a move.
One of those are Manchester United, and it is posited that the midfielder could be used in a deal for Pogba to bring the price down and provide a solution that suits all parties in the long run.
Juve chief Fabio Paratici would undoubtedly approve of such a move as it would let him make a ‘substantial capital gain’ and provide a ‘natural change of technical players’.
Indeed, such a move is seen as a ‘happy ending for everyone’ although Gazzetta insist it is too early to be hopeful of anything happening, with this puzzle still to be solved completely.
