Manchester United Football Club
The destination of central midfielder Pogba has become a hot topic of discussion in the transfer season. On one hand, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are salivating over him, while on the other hand, the United hierarchy are hoping to extend his contract. However, Pogba and his agent Mino Raiola have other plans and intend to drag it out until 2022 to get the most out of it.
Pogba, 28, has rejected a new £350,000-a-week contract offer from Manchester United, while Paris are willing to offer up to £500,000-a-week. According to Eurosport, Pogba, who was also attracted by United's introduction of Sancho and Varane this summer, seems intent on staying on the sidelines until 2022, neither transferring nor renewing his contract.
Pogba's ideal transfer destination remains his childhood idols Real Madrid, but Real Madrid seem to have little interest in him at the moment. For him and his agent Raiola, the longer the delay, the better. Pogba is hoping to attract more buyers with his next performance, and if he decides to move on a free transfer, the chances of joining the Galacticos will be much higher. Even if he is unable to join Real Madrid or Paris, he still has Manchester United as a final option and his contract will be expiring by then, which will be more favorable for him to force the club to offer a high salary and avoid a free transfer.
However, Manchester United are not waiting around. If Pogba has not renewed his contract by next January, he will be free to approach overseas giants under FIFA rules. Therefore, if Pogba refuses to renew his contract this summer, United may be inclined to sell him. At present, United has signed Sancho and Varane, the next focus is to solve the problem of Pogba's retention, which will directly affect whether they will also make reinforcements.
If Pogba is sold, United could use the funds to bring in new midfielders. Gretzka of Bundesliga class rivals Bayern Munich, Ligue 1's Rennes' new Kanji Eduardo Camavenga, Saúl Niguez of La Liga's Atletico Madrid and Premier League Wolves' Ruben Neves are all potential options.
Of these players, Saur and Neves are considered to be easier to get. Manchester United are particularly interested in the over 10-year old Spanish international, Saur, who is considered to be the first choice at the moment. If Pogba leaves, the Red Devils could go for Saur.
Saur is currently 26 years old and while he may not be as creative in attack as Pogba, he is more tactically disciplined and more aggressive in defense. In the Champions League, he has scored 10 goals in 59 games, which is more efficient than Pogba's 4 goals in 51 games. Eight of Pogba's 12 assists came during his time at Juventus.
Diego Simeone did not see Saur as a starter last season and was willing to sell him to ease the financial burden on the team. Now for just £45 million, United can take Saur away from Atletico Madrid, which is half the price of England's iron back Declan Rice, for whom West Ham have bid £100 million. However, the likes of Liverpool and other giants are also interested in Saur, so United need to make a final decision soon in order to move forward with the next step in their transfer plans.
