LONDON, Aug 8, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – 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 on
Wednesday.
The 25-year-old — who scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win over Croatia
— has agreed terms with Barcelona for a deal worth o89.5 million ($115
million, 100 million euros) over five years, according to the Daily Mail.
The reported agreement would see him pick up o346,000 a week, almost
double what he earns at United.
The Sun claims the former Juventus star — who joined United for a then
world-record fee of o89 million in 2016 — has demanded the Premier League
side increase his wages from o180,000 to o380,000 a week so he is paid almost
on a par with Chilean star Alexis Sanchez, otherwise he will leave.
United, though, would be most reluctant to sell him, with the Daily Mail
reporting they have already rejected a bid by Barcelona of o44.5 million plus
Colombian central defender Yerry Mina and Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes.
Mourinho has expressed his frustration over the club’s transfer policy,
and Pogba’s departure would leave little time for executive chairman Ed
Woodward to find a suitable replacement with the Premier League transfer
window due to close on Thursday.
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 team-mate Arturo
Vidal also recently moved to the Catalan giants.
– ‘Pogba needs to play his part’ –
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.
“Paul was like the (France) team. He started average and ended top,”
Mourinho told beIN Sports on United’s unhappy tour of the United States last
week.
Pogba, though, is believed to have been more upset by what followed in the
interview as Mourinho implied being in an enclosed environment over six weeks
ensured he focused just on football and not on outside matters such as
commercial contracts.
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,
who is reported to have earned just over o40 million when Pogba moved to
United.
“You have to speak to Manchester United,” added Raiola.
Former United star Rio Ferdinand told Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Mail
that Mourinho needed to fit the team around Pogba’s sublime 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 central 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.”