LONDON, Sporting Alert – Manchester United have made contact to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford, but face strong competition from Real Madrid, according to ESPN FC.
Reports in England claimed that Jose Mourinho is ready to tempt the French midfielder back to the English Premier League, as he seeks to build a strong squad to challenge for the Premier League title next season.
Mourinho wants to reshape his central midfield with more all-rounded players, and the Portuguese coach has identified Pobga as the perfect individual to anchor things in the middle of the pitch.
The report even went as far as saying that Manchester United and Juventus have been “discussing a potential fee that is likely to be more than £65 million.”
However, ESPN FC is reporting that the Juventus midfielder who is also being linked with a move to Barcelona, is apparently waiting to see if Real Madrid will make an offer for him during the summer transfer window.
Pogba left Manchester United as a 19-year-old when his contract expired in 2012, after falling out with the then club manager Sir Alex Ferguson over his playing time with the senior team.
The French midfielder was an instant hit at Juventus, which left many starting to believe the Red Devils made a mistake in letting him leave.
In an exclusive interview posted on the ESPN FC website this week, the 23-year-old said he his final conversation with Ferguson made him “think,” but by then he had already made up his mind to leave the club.
“He’s (Sir Alex) a coach I respect a lot,” Pogba was said in the interview. “But he’s a human. I’m someone who says what he thinks. Whether it’s Ferguson or [President Barack] Obama, I’ll tell him.
“Ferguson came to my place. We talked. It did make me think. He wanted to keep me, but I’d made my decision to leave.”
There are many who doubt Pogba will ever return to play for Manchester United, the club’s supporters remain hopeful.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has already landed his first recruit in the transfer window, following the capture of Ivory Coast centre-back Eric Bailly from La Liga side Villarreal FC.
Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also on the verge signing at Old Trafford.
