According to the Star, Paul Pogba is set to snub a move to City in favour of delaying his Juventus departure and signing for Catalonian giants Barcelona once their transfer ban expires next summer. He had been thought of as a top transfer target for The Blues this summer, but instead the Star believes that he’s already told friends that Barcelona are his primary choice.
It had been thought City would have had to pay anywhere between £60-70 million for the former Manchester United man as they look to replace the aging Yaya Toure with a younger model. Pogba has been linked with moves to City for some time, and The Blues were thought of as favourites on more than one occasion although if Pogba has hit heart set on Barcelona then it’s easy to see him holding out and moving to eastern Spain instead of north-west England.
Barcelona currently have a transfer ban due to breaking FIFA rules, but the Star believe they’ve already identified Pogba as a long-term replacement for legendary veteran midfielder Xavi, who bowed out of the Spanish side this season after a hugely successful career with the La Liga team. The allure of playing in front of as many fans as they do at Barcelona, coupled with teammates of the calibre of Lionel Messi, could be more than enough to persuade Pogba to delay leaving for a further year.
Of course, these are not the first reports that Pogba would snub The Blues for Barcelona, with Fichajes reporting a couple of weeks ago that the Frenchman favours football over money after City allegedly offered him £250,000 per week, making him one of their highest-paid players.
Pogba has played 135 games for Juventus since he signed for them in 2012.
