Paul Pogba Takes A U-Turn, Close To Signing New 5-Year Contract With Manchester United: Report

Manchester United star midfielder Paul Pogba is reportedly close to agreeing to a new five-year deal at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Before the coronavirus pandemic halted soccer March, Pogba was heavily linked with a move away from the Old Trafford side this summer. His agent Mino Raiola had announced on social media that he was trying to get Pogba a deal from Real Madrid as Zinedine Zidane has been an admirer of his fellow Frenchman. Raiola had also mentioned about Pogba returning to Juventus, which he left for Man Utd in 2016.

Pogba, who has one year to run on his current contract, also has a 12-month extension clause that Man Utd are expected to trigger next January. After falling out with Jose Mourinho in 2018, many were assured that Pogba would leave the club. During Man Utd’s pre-season tour in 2019, Pogba had mentioned about wanting a "new challenge."

Due to the financial impact infused by the coronavirus pandemic, not many clubs could have afforded Pogba’s release clause of $125 million and the France national was aware that his wages of $313,000-a-week could end up getting reduced because of the same reasons. Moreover, the arrival of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon during the January transfer window has reduced Pogba’s burden and that could be one of the reasons behind Pogba’s decision to stay with Man Utd.

According to The Sun, Pogba is expected to begin talks regarding his new contract soon and the club is confident that it will be able to announce the details of the deal by the end of the current season.

Man Utd are currently placed fifth in the Premier League table and are fighting to finish in the top four that would bring them back to Champions League football next season. Pogba, who has missed the majority of the season because of injuries, has started Man Utd’s last five games.

In an interview, ahead of the Crystal Palace clash, Man Utd boss Solskjaer has admitted that he could rest Pogba Thursday.

"I’ve been speaking more or less every day with Paul. He knows he wouldn’t be dropped. When Paul plays like this, he wouldn’t be dropped from any team in the world — France or Manchester United — but he’s been out for a long, long time. There was a question mark before the game against Southampton but he felt ready for it, which was great, so now let’s see how he is. He’s been fantastic since the restart and brought a lot to the team," added Solskjaer in the same interview.