Man United midfielder Pogba desperate to join Barcelona following frosty relationship with manager Mourinho; EPL transfer window closes tonight
Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho
France World Cup star Paul Pogba is determined to end his fractious relationship with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and move to Barcelona, according to British media reports yesterday. Pogba, 25, who scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win over Croatia — has agreed terms with Barcelona for a deal worth £89.5 million ($115 million, 100 million euros) over five years, according to the Daily Mail. The agreement would see him pick up £346,000 a week, almost double what he earns at United.
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The Sun claims the former Juventus star — who joined United for a then world-record fee of £89 million in 2016 — has demanded the Premier League side increase his wages from £180,000 to £380,000 a week, so he is paid almost on par with Chilean star Alexis Sanchez, otherwise he will leave United.
Man Utd deny claims
The club has had to deny the claim that Pogba sent a text message to Woodward demanding he be allowed to leave. The Frenchman is keen to move to Barcelona — the Spanish transfer window does not shut till the end of the month — to play with Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, while his close friend and former Juventus teammate Arturo Vidal also recently moved to the Catalan giants.
Essentially, though, Pogba's unhappiness stems from the deterioration in his relationship with Mourinho, who not only does he blame for his muted performances for United since his move but also for his qualified praise of his performances for France at the World Cup.
Agent tight-lipped
Pogba's super agent Mino Raiola — who was also instrumental in bringing Romelu Lukaku to United last summer — has remained out of the fray, refusing to comment on links with Barcelona. "I will never make declarations about Paul," said the Dutch-Italian agent. "You have to speak to Manchester United," added Raiola.
Former United star Rio Ferdinand said that Mourinho needed to fit the team around Pogba's talent, but accepted the player needed to adapt too. "It's down to the manager to get the best out of him, setting the team up and setting Pogba up in the right way to achieve the best," said the former England defender. "But Pogba needs to play his part in that. It's a case of the player and manager getting an understanding for each other and getting the best out of the player."
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