Article by Fabrizio Romano
Paul Pogba's departure is like an open wound for Manchester United fans. The French midfielder arrived from Le Havre to the Red Devils academy at the age of 15, but while he got to practice next to many champions, Sir Alex Ferguson told him he needed time to get a chance in the Premier League. Pogba never fully accepted this assessment and Juventus advances made him consider leaving England.
In addition, Ferguson described his relationship with Pogba's agent Raiola this way "He and I are like oil and water: from the first meeting it was a disaster" the contract extenion went from difficult to impossible, and then Juventus closed the deal. Once Ferguson realized Pogba was on his way out he excluded him from the squad, which made Pogba cry outside his office.
But now with Mourinho in charge things could change. Raiola has been working closely with United on the Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan deals, and Mourinho has always adored Pogba, he also tried to sign him last summer while at Chelsea. So far Raiola has had a discussion with the Red Devils, but it won't be easy to sign Pogba. Real Madrid continues to pursue him, and Juventus won't offer any discounts- they value Pogba at least €100 million while hoping to keep him at least another season. Pogba is happy in Turin, and that is a factor that shouldn't be underestimated.
It's too early to predict what will happen, those who want Pogba will have to meet Juventus' exorbitant demands while also paying him huge wages of between €12/13 million per season net of taxes. They are thinking about it in Manchester, but there isn't yet a formal negotiation. It won't be easy for them or anyone else to close the deal, but Pogba's tears from when he was at Old Trafford could turn into tears of joy in the future for Manchester United fans.
