Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is being strongly linked with a move to Barcelona
Paul Pogba is one of the hottest young prospects in football at the moment and his brilliant displays over the last few seasons have drawn the gazes of quite a few of Europe’s biggest clubs. The Juventus midfielder had a season to remember after he helped his team lift the Serie A and the Coppa Italia titles while also earning second place in the UEFA Champions League. The Italian champions lost to Barcelona in the final of the world’s best-known club football competition but there may be evidence to suggest that he could be joining the side who he lost the Champions League to in the last season.
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has identified the Frenchman as their primary transfer target, but they were not the only club to do so. Manchester City are also in the hunt for the former Manchester United man, but it seems as if they are no more a contender in this fight. Pogba’s agent has come out and claimed that Barcelona would be the ideal club for the player. He has also suggested that his client may turn out to be a Barcelona player if Joan Laporta gets elected as the President of Barcelona Football Club in their presidential elections. This comment by Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has not gone down well in the Juve ranks.
Josep Bartomeu, pictured above, has been re-elected as the President of Barcelona Football Club
Giuseppe Marotta, the General Director of the Old Lady, seemed incensed by this latest development as he came forward to quash all rumours regarding the sale of their biggest asset. Marotta said, “Whoever is interested in the player needs to talk to Juventus and not with Mino Raiola, who is nonetheless his agent. But the player is not for sale”. The stance that Juve have taken is not at all surprising as any club would go to almost any lengths to keep their best player from leaving, but in Juve’s case, another factor seems to have done the job. The reigning Italian champions have placed a price tag of 71 million pounds on Paul Pogba’s head and that will have to be the biggest obstacle that any of the player’s suitors will have to go past.
Former Barca captain Carles Puyol is seen casting his vote in his club’s presidential elections
the latest stumbling block to hit the Spanish giants is one caused by themselves. Joan Laporta, the man who promised to bring Pogba to the Nou Camp, has failed to win the presidential elections. His rival, Josep Bartomeu has reclaimed his throne for another tenure and this development has thrown Pogba’s transfer to Barca in doubt. There was, of course, no guarantee that the player would only move to Spain if Laporta were to win the elections. Similarly, the chances of the young Frenchman still making the move remains quite considerable.
It is very difficult for us to gauge what Barca’s stance regarding Pogba is. There should not be any doubt that the club will remain interested in the player no matter who is in charge, and similarly, Pogba should also still remain interested in a move to the Nou Camp regardless of who the Barca president is. This deal is still very much on though and I feel that things will get clear with time. Till then, all I would suggest right now is that all of you continue to watch this space.
