Manchester United prove they’re serious about keeping Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba has endured a tumultuous time at Manchester United, but the Premier League giants are making it clear they want to keep the talented midfielder. 

Paul Pogba’s contract at Manchester United may be running down, but that doesn’t mean the club are ready to sell him this summer. In fact, the club’s recent communications with Juventus make it very clear that United believe the talented midfielder’s immediate future still resides in England.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Juventus officials were told it would require a bid in the neighborhood of £80 million to arrange a reunion with the midfield talisman. In a vacuum, that’s a reasonable price tag for a player of Pogba’s quality. However, the reality that the player’s contract only has one year remaining makes it an enormous sum for The Old Lady to consider.

The remaining question is what Pogba thinks about his own future. The short time remaining on his deal with United gives him enormous power regarding where he’ll ply his trade over the next few seasons. It’s easy to envision a scenario where he simply enters next summer as arguably the biggest free agent in football history.

That reality should strike fear into the hearts of higher-ups at Old Trafford. They need to do everything in their power to convince Pogba to sign a new deal before next season begins. Losing him for nothing next summer would represent a public relations nightmare for the club.

But what will Paul Pogba do?

It would take a massive financial offer to tempt Pogba to pass on the chance to determine his own future. The chances of United offering him that sort of deal in the coming months are remote.

There’s also a reality that interested clubs like Juventus will certainly make sure Pogba’s representatives are keenly aware of their interest in acquiring him next summer. Those clubs can’t speak to Pogba directly at the current point in time, but that won’t stop them from letting him know of their potential contract parameters through intermediaries.

In the end, Pogba will likely go to the highest bidder when his current contract concludes. United probably can’t lock him down in the coming weeks, but they need to make sure they keep him happy next season to prevent being eliminated from consideration. He’s not a perfect midfielder, but he’s still a world-class option for a club with legitimate Premier League title aspirations.