Manchester United are planning with Paul Pogba ahead of next season.
The French midfielder endured a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign as France suffered elimination last night at the hands of Switzerland. An early knock out for only the reigning World Cup champions, but Portugal let their Euro crown slip as Belgium reached the quarter-finals.
This sets up for what could be an interesting summer for Pogba. He has flirted with the idea of leaving Manchester United for years and it’s clear he still has influential admirers based in Italy and Spain.
One thing is certain, however, and that is Manchester United are planning for the new season with Pogba.
Fabrizio Romano exclusively told the Strettycast: “Juventus are interested because they love Pogba and Pogba loves Juventus. The interest is always there but you need money to sign Pogba not interest. A lot of people are talking about €40-50m here in Italy and Spain because they think Pogba is out of contract in one year. However, it is not like this. Manchester United are not selling the player for €40m and would prefer to keep him and take the risk.
“Pogba’s salary is a huge one. More than €16-17m per season with add-ons. The Real Madrid market will be slow. They need to sell players.
“As of today, Manchester United are not negotiating with any club and they still hope to keep Pogba.”
United are definitely better with Pogba than without, but next season we need to find the right balance in midfield. It wouldn’t surprise me if he played a deep-lying role like we saw him do throughout the Euros.
Moreover, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to ask about Donny van de Beek after his difficult debut season at the club.
Romano added: “Solskjaer is happy with him. He knows that last season was not the best one. It was the opening season so he needs to adapt to English football, but the player has always been a fantastic professional with Manchester United. He’s never been angry with the manager or with the club, but always focused on the pitch and training. Now he wants to prove himself at Manchester United. Van de Beek wants to stay, Solskjaer is open to keep him and for him to show his skills. The situation is quiet and Van de Beek wants to stay.”
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