Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba is reportedly edging closer to a move to Barcelona, after agent Mino Raiola agreed a deal ‘in principle’ with the Spanish champions.
In the midst of a roller-coaster campaign at United, Pogba has been keen to swap Manchester for Catalunya.
The Frenchman had been keen to switch during the summer, but United had no desire to part with their prized asset.
But Pogba’s desire to leave Old Trafford remains, and has grown amid the ongoing feud between Pogba and United manager Jose Mourinho.
The World Cup winner was stripped of the vice-captaincy following comments the 25-year-old midfielder made after the 1-1 draw at home to Wolves. And things worsened following United’s shock exit from the Carabao Cup when a video emerged of Pogba being confronted by the Portuguese manager.
Now, according to Rai Sport, Pogba’s agent Raiola has come to an agreement in principle with the Catalan giants. The report also indicates that Barca midfielder Arturo Vidal has been urging manager Ernesto Valverde to sign his former Juventus teammate as Barcelona look to retain La Liga and push for the Champions League. Vidal and Pogba are close friends and its an interesting turn that the Chilean – despite a difficult start to his Camp Nou career – has told Valverde to push through a deal. Pogba re-joined United following four successful seasons in Turin, leaving for a then-world record fee of £89million. But his relationship with Mourinho has too often appeared to merely be a marriage of convenience.
Barcelona CEO Oscar Grau refused to rule out a move for Pogba earlier this month. He declared:
“If the coaching staff ask for someone, we will look at it. We’re not closing any doors.”
