Barcelona haven’t given up hope of signing Juventus’ Paul Pogba and believe he wants to join them, but there are still obstacles to the transfer.
Sport reports that Barca would like to finalise Pogba’s signing before July’s Presidential elections and while they were optimistic only a few weeks ago, the move has since stalled.
Juve rejected Barca’s offer despite Pogba wanting to go to Camp Nou, although he has his own reservations, and Ariedo Braida, the Barca director of international scouting, is working on a solution.
Braida and Juve are said to have a friendly relationship but that didn’t convince Juve to accept the €70m offered by the Catalans, as Barca proposed he be loaned back to the Old Lady until the summer of 2016.
Juventus felt that a club of their stature shouldn’t accept a deal structured in that way and will only sell Pogba this summer if they receive an ‘astronomical’ offer.
Braida has this week met with Giuseppe Marotta, the Juventus chief executive, and been told that Juventus are prepared to let Pogba go in 2016, but not for €70m.
Pogba would like to join Barca but doesn’t want to sit out six months of football as Barca’s transfer embargo means they couldn’t register the France international until the punishment is served.
He prefers the idea of moving to La Liga over England’s Premier League or France’s Ligue 1, with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain rivalling Barca for his signature.
City could yet convince Pogba to return to Manchester – having played at Manchester United prior to Juventus – and have been in contact with his representative, Mino Raiola.
The English champions are expected to overhaul their squad this summer after a disappointing title defence and have identified Pogba as a key cog in the wheel.
A fee of €80m has been mooted, together with wages of €12m a year, which, over five years, takes the cost of the deal to €200m, a figure Sport say is out of Barca’s reach, but they are trying to find a compromise.
Chelsea have already backed away from Pogba over the cost, it’s claimed.
The possibility of including Pedro Rodriguez or Martin Montoya in Barca’s offer has been raised and Braida is in regular contact with Juve and Raiola. A decision on Pogba is expected at the end of the season.
