Manchester City have become alerted to the possibility of signing French midfielder Paul Pogba after his agent confirmed he would be leaving Juventus when the time is right, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola confirmed to the press that “we have renewed his contract [in October of last year], we’re happy with Juventus but when the time is right to leave we’ll take that opportunity.” Whilst the new deal should keep the Frenchman in Turin until the end of the 2018-19 season, these latest quotes from Raiola confirm his 21-year-old client could be persuaded away from Serie A.
Indeed, Raiola also confirmed that when Pogba does eventually move away, it won’t be to a domestic rival, saying “will he stay in Italy? No.”
Juventus have also commented, remarking that “every European club” is keeping tabs on Pogba’s situation, but they are not stressed to sell, with his contract running for another four years.
Pogba has long been touted as a potential replacement for Yaya Toure, a player who is starting to show his age and who will have to be replaced in the coming transfer windows. Many feel Pogba could be the perfect man to fit this admittedly large bill, and at the age of 21 could give City several years of good service.
With the recent links of Stevan Jovetic to Juventus, with the Italians reportedly interested in completing a move for the Montenegrin forward, The Blues could hold somewhat of an upper-hand in the negotiations for Pogba. If Juventus really do want Jovetic, maybe City will try and work out some way to get to the front of the pack of teams in the running for Pogba.
However, City will be acutely aware of the standard of the other teams bidding for the midfielder. Teams like Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are likely to be lodging a sizable bid for the 21-year-old, as well as Chelsea, United, Arsenal as well as City in England. If City are going to win this race, it’s likely to be a bitter fight to the end.
