Manchester United Not Sure If Real Madrid, Juventus Can Afford Their $118M Star: Report

Manchester United are reportedly having doubts whether Real Madrid and Juventus can afford Paul Pogba, who is being linked with a move away from Old Trafford next summer.

Manchester United's financial stability in comparison to some of their European rivals such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus is superior and the possibility of Pogba eventually signing a new contract with the Red Devils cannot be ruled out, unnamed sources have told ESPN. It also stated that Manchester United's bosses are also discussing if it is a good idea to retain a player who has indicated on multiple occasions that he wants to leave. But the International Business Times could not verify this independently.

Pogba prefers to move to Spain to join his countryman Zinedine Zidane, who manages Real Madrid. The ESPN report has said Manchester United do not believe that Los Blancos can afford Pogba's transfer fee along with his hefty wages of around $386,000-a-week.

It is also understood that because of the ongoing pandemic, Manchester United are aware of the financial crisis across various clubs and are prepared to receive cash plus swap offers. However, the club will not accept swap deals for players that are not on the recruitment department's list of targets.

Manchester United are firm that they won't be forced into accepting a lower bid for Pogba, who rejoined the Old Trafford side from Juventus at a then-record fee of $118 million in 2016. The Frenchman joined Manchester United's academy in 2009 before making his senior debut with the same club in 2011. In his debut season (2011-12) with the first team, Pogba made three competitive appearances. In the following summer, Pogba rejected a new contract with Sir Alex Ferguson-managed Manchester United and instead agreed to a deal with Juventus.

After spending four seasons in Turin, where he netted 34 goals in 178 matches for the Serie A side, Pogba returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2016. In his second stint with the former Premier League champions, Pogba has managed to score 34 goals in 171 appearances, but the last couple of seasons have seen the midfielder spending majority of the time off the field due to injuries.

Pogba, who is contracted with Manchester United until 2022, has played 14 matches in 2020-21, starting only in six.

Pogba's transfer saga reopened recently when his "Super Agent" Mino Raiola declared that the player's run at Manchester United was over and he would look for a new club for Pogba, who, according to the agency, won't sign a new deal with the club. His comments came just before Manchester United's all-important Champions League clash Tuesday with RB Leipzig, which the Old Trafford side lost and were dropped to Europa League.