Paul Pogba could return to Juventus, his agent Mino Raiola has said.
[ MORE: 10 things learned from fans’ return ]
Pogba, 27, is contracted to Manchester United until the summer of 2022 but his agent came out all guns blazing as he confirmed the French superstar wants a transfer in January.
On the eve of a key UEFA Champions League showdown for United, and just ahead of a huge Manchester derby, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not be impressed with the timing of all of this.
Speaking to Tuttosport in Italy, Raiola confirmed that a return to Juventus is something that Pogba would want.
“Maybe Juventus could be his next destination. Why not? Among other things, the relationship with the club and his former team-mates is excellent,” Raiola said. “In these COVID times, not many can afford Paul but the important thing is wanting to sign him.”
Here are the initial comments from Raiola about Pogba wanting to leave.
“There’s no point beating about the bush. It’s better to speak out clearly, look forward and avoid wasting time to find culprits. Paul is unhappy at Man Utd, he can’t manage to express himself like he wants to and like people expect him to. He needs to change team, he needs a change of scenery. He has a contract that will expire in a year and a half, in the summer of 2022, but the best solution for all parties is a transfer in the next (summer) window,” Raiola said.
“Otherwise the Old Trafford club, which I have a great relationship with, knows well that they would risk losing him on a free transfer, given that at the moment it’s not the player’s intention to extend the contract. If anybody can’t understand this, then they know little or nothing about football. Anyway, they’re free to direct all the blame to myself if Paul were to leave next summer.”
What a mess.
Nobody is surprised by this, as Pogba and Raiola have said similar things to this many times in recent years, but the agent pushing for a move in January is new and comes as Pogba has become a bit-part player at United.
Bruno Fernandes is clearly the number 10, and that isn’t going to change. The best thing for everyone here is for Pogba to move on and his agent is probably right that they should do it in January, but now everyone knows he wants to leave and his market value will have plummeted.
