The likely whereabouts of Paul Pogba at the beginning of next season has been the source of much tedious speculation since the beginning of this one, so it was with no little relief that the Rumour Mill read that the Juventus midfielder’s agent Mino Raiola had finally clarified his player’s position over the weekend by announcing that Pogba will absolutely, without any shadow of a doubt whatsoever be staying in Turin … unless he happens to move somewhere else.
“We made a pact with Juve: Paul doesn’t have to leave,” Raiola told Italian newspaper Tuttosport. “I spoke to president Andrea Agnelli, directors Pavel Nedved, Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici, so they all agree. The club doesn’t need the money. He is wanted by seven clubs and that is certain, because they all told me so. The ones that can afford him are Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. If I just whistled, I’d sell Pogba tomorrow to PSG or City in a heartbeat. But Paul did not tell me to find him another club. As of today, it’s 99% [certain that Pogba will stay at Juve]. Juve agree with our approach, which is that they will only sell if Paul asks to leave and there’s a suitable offer. Of course, it could become 1%, it depends on the market.” So that’s finally cleared that one up.
Currently on loan at Real Madrid, who dropped three points in a surprise defeat at the hands of Athletic Bilbao over the weekend, Manchester United striker Javier Hernández has a bevy of Premier League admirers in Stoke City, West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. The Mexican striker’s parent club are believed to be giving Burnley striker Danny Ings the glad eye, with the Daily Mail reporting that Manchester United sent a whole jamboree of scouts to watch the 22-year-old, whose contract expires this summer, in action during his team’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield last week. In other transfer tittle-tattle pertaining to United, Louis van Gaal’s hope’s of signing Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos may have hit a snag now it’s emerged Premier League leaders Chelsea are ready to muscle in and turn the Brazilian’s head. In the event of a Bargain Hunt style auction, expect the bidding to start at £30m, with the player’s agent Giuliano Bertolucci playing the role of Burberry Scarf-wearing Bloke From Stockport.
Should Manchester United fail in their well documented attempts to prise Gareth Bale away from Real Madrid this summer, assorted media outlets report they’ll try to make up for the disappointment by signing 21-year-old PSV winger and Eredivisie top scorer Memphis Depay instead. Looking a stone wall certainty to leave the Philips Stadion come season’s end, Depay is likely to have no shortage of suitors and has already been the subject of one £14m bid from Tottenham Hotspur, who remain keen. Manchester United will free up funds to lure the Dutch World Cup star, among others, to Old Trafford by cutting their losses on Ángel Di María, who has been a big disappointment since arriving from Real Madrid. The Argentinian may be off to Paris Saint-Germain, according to the Mirror.
Branislav Ivanovic looks set to end his playing days at Chelsea, with reports suggesting the club might be prepared to ignore their policy of only offering one-year deals to players aged over 30 years of age in order to keep the Serbian full-back at Stamford Bridge. The 31-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of next season and José Mourinho is believed to have lobbied club suits in a bid to secure a longer extension for the club stalwart. Ivanovic may well find himself sharing dressing room space with Inter striker Mauro Icardi, whose audacious late Panenka in the face of a laser pen onslaught earned his side a point at Napoli last night. Inter would very much like to keep their Argentinian goal-getter at San Siro, but a dispute over image rights means they are unlikely to be able to afford him.
And finally, Arsenal will pay the £30m Palermo want for their striker Paulo Dybala, while that grumbling sound you can hear on the south coast of England is Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin preparing for this summer’s tedious hoopla regarding his next move. “I haven’t had contact with [Arsène] Wenger,” the French midfielder told Canal Plus. “Clubs are interested in me but I’ve not given my word to anyone.”
