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Paul Pogba has DECIDED Real Madrid transfer but one man is blocking Manchester United exit
PAUL POGBA has reportedly already ‘decided’ to join Real Madrid in the summer - but his agent Mino Raiola needs to sign off on the deal.
Paul Pogba: Real Madrid is a dream club for me
That is the sensational report coming from the Spanish capital this morning.
Manchester United signed Pogba from under Real Madrid’s noses in 2016 when they broke the transfer record with an £89m agreement with Juventus.
Pogba’s agent Raiola had been central to the transfer talks with both suitors.
Real thought they had a deal in place but refused to meet Raiola’s demands, while United were willing to break the bank to re-sign their former youth star.
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Pogba arrived at United with plenty of expectation on his shoulders but three years on he has failed to lift the Red Devils to their former glories.
And reports in Spain, from AS, claim he now wants out of Old Trafford.
Raiola demands are crucial
Pogba has already admitted during this international break that it is his “dream” to play for Real Madrid - but that he is content in Manchester.
Yet Spanish newspaper AS claim the France international has ‘decided’ to try and force a move to the Bernabeu in the summer.
According to the report, Pogba ‘wants to leave United this summer’ and has his eyes on Spain or a return to Serie A.
Paul Pogba ‘thinks he has reached an end and wants to return to Italy or play in the Spanish League’ writes Marco Ruiz for AS.
But the issue is Raiola.
The super-agent holds plenty of sway in where Pogba will end up and will likely demand a massive fee for his services during any transfer discussions.
Man Utd: Pogba transfer to Madrid could happen says Marcotti
Real have already refused to do business with the Dutchman before and club president Florentino Perez is not a fan of his.
Were Real to refuse to play ball with Raiola, the agent may persuade Pogba to forget about joining the La Liga giants.
After all, he already succeeded in doing that three years ago when United beat Real to the midfielder’s signature.
Pogba to Juventus?
Pogba’s current United contract expires in the summer of 2021, so there is no immediate danger of Raiola holding the Red Devils to ransom over the threat of a free transfer.
Yet Pogba is said to have already rejected the proposal of a contract renewal, on the grounds he wants ‘time to think’ about his next step.
It means this summer could be a tricky one for Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to navigate.
Interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may well get the role full time at the end of the season - and the Norwegian will want backing in the transfer market.
But were United to sell Pogba - who has excelled since Jose Mourinho left the club - then Solskjaer’s job may prove trickier than first thought.
AS add that Juventus would also be interested in bringing the World Cup winner back to Turin.
But to do that they would have to match Real's financial muscle.
Juve sunk £105m into the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid last summer - and have agreed to pay the Portugal superstar £106m in wages over four seasons.
That deal could only be brokered thanks to support from Italian car manufacturer FIAT.
So the likelihood of Juve finding more cash for Pogba appears slim.
But Real, with Zinedine Zidane back in charge as manager, appear the clear frontrunners to sign Pogba were he to decide to leave United.