Juventus have reportedly opened the bidding stakes for Barcelona target Paul Pogba at €80m.
Following on from its claims that an agreement to halt rival negotiations for the midfielder until Barca had a new President installed, Mundo Deportivo now reports the Bianconeri have moved to alleviate strong interest from other European powerhouses.
La Blaugrana are understood to harbour reservations over such an investment and have tried to bargain with Juve by offering to leave him in Turin for the remainder of 2015 before bringing him in next year, as per the rules of their transfer ban.
However, they risk losing their grip on Pogba’s signature to Chelsea as Juve are believed to be interested in Blues midfielder Oscar, while Manchester City have reportedly made a world-record €122m bid.
Nonetheless, MD is certain that Barca remain Juve’s preferred suitors for the Frenchman, despite Barca sporting director Ariedo Braida seeing his initial hopes of landing the 22-year-old for €60m take a blow.
