Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has left the door open for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba to join the Spanish side.
Bartomeu refused to discuss links with Manchester United star Paul Pogba, though he did leave the door open to a possible move before the transfer window shuts. LaLiga champions Barca have emerged as strong contenders for France midfielder Pogba amid uncertainty over the World Cup winner’s future at Old Trafford.
Pogba has reportedly endured a strained relationship with manager Jose Mourinho and the Frenchman raised further doubts over his time in Manchester when he claimed he would be fined if he said what he wanted to following Friday’s clash.
While the Premier League window closed on August 9, Spanish clubs have until August 31 to complete deals.
“I won’t speak of any names, we have respect for all clubs and there are 20 days left. We’ll see which players come out. We’re focused on the League, so it’s best to ask [Eric] Abidal, [Ramon] Planes or Pep Segura about players. There’s still time to do business”, Bartomeu said speaking to reporters after Barcelona’s 2-1 win against Sevilla in Sunday’s Supercopa de Espana.
Barcelona have been busy in the transfer market, signing Malcom, Arthur, Clement Lenglet and Arturo Vidal.
He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, and deep-lying playmaker.
Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, Pogba showed much promise as a youngster, flourishing as a member of local youth teams. He eventually joined the youth team of Ligue 1 side Le Havre, before a protracted transfer brought him to Manchester United in 2009. After beginning his senior career with Manchester United two years later, limited appearances persuaded him to depart to join Italian side Juventus on a free transfer in 2012, where he helped the club to four consecutive Serie A titles, as well as two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. During his time in Italy, Pogba further established himself as one of the most promising young players in the world, and received the Golden Boy award in 2013, followed by the Bravo Award in 2014. In 2016, Pogba was named to the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year, as well as the 2015 FIFA FIFPro World XI, after helping Juventus to the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final, their first in 12 years.
Pogba’s performances at Juventus allowed him to return to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world record transfer fee of €105 million (£89.3 million).The fee paid for him remains the highest paid by an English club.In his first season back, he won the League Cup and the Europa League.
Internationally, he captained France to victory at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and took home the award for the Best Player for his performances during the tournament. He made his debut for the senior team a year later, and featured prominently at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he was awarded the Best Young Player Award for his performances. He later represented his nation at UEFA Euro 2016on home soil, where he finished as a runner-up, before winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup after scoring in the final.
On 17 May 2018, Pogba was called up to the France squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.On 16 June 2018, he took the shot that deflected off Aziz Behich and resulted in the winning goal in France’s 2–1 win over Australia in their opening match at the tournament. The goal was initially awarded to Pogba, but the following day FIFA re-awarded it as an own goal to Behich.
In the 59th minute of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, Pogba extended France’s lead over Croatia to 3–1 with a strike from the edge of the penalty area after his initial shot had been blocked;France eventually won the World Cup by a score of 4–2.