The summer transfer window is beginning to heat up as time starts ticking down toward deadline day in August. To no one's surprise, Manchester United are heavily featured in the papers once again, but reports are focused on a player leaving instead of one potentially coming in.
The news broke when world-famous football agent Mino Raiola recently revealed that his client Paul Pogba was trying to facilitate a move out of Old Trafford. This was a worry for many United fans across the globe, as they began to wonder if one of their star players was really about to leave their club. Luckily for them, it has become increasingly apparent that Pogba won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
No need to sell
Simply put, there is no rational reason for the Red Devils to sell Pogba this summer.
He might reportedly be forcing a move out, but there isn’t much pressure on United to do anything just yet. The Frenchman has a contract that won’t run out for another two years, so he is not the one in a position of power. He can’t just let it run out while he sits on the bench, as Pogba needs to perform to prove his worthiness of a pay increase or a move away.
United are also in a minor rebuild, so they need to be focused on buying players instead of selling them.
Everyone knew the club needed to sign another midfielder or two going into this window, and that became an even bigger priority when Ander Herrera was let go after not signing a contract extension. United have been linked with players like Bruno Fernandes and Sean Longstaff since, and it is crucial at least one comes to Old Trafford. With other areas of the pitch to worry about as well, like the defence and the wide areas, there’s no way United would be able to find an adequate replacement for Pogba in the time remaining.
Some have argued that selling Pogba would help add some much-needed funds that could go straight back into signing new players. That plan could work in theory, but there’s no reason to believe that the United front office would be able to pull it off properly. Just look at the last summer window, where they spent £52million on Fred while failing to sign a desperately needed centre-back. Money is not the problem at this point, and the Reds wouldn’t gain much from the additional cash they would get from the Frenchman.
An unaffordable expense
It’s not like there are many teams on the planet that could realistically purchase Pogba either.
United’s number six would command a massive transfer fee. When they signed Pogba two years, it was for £89million. Since then, he’s won a World Cup, while gaining a whole lot of experience in the process. He’s improved as a player, and still being only 26, he’s just entering his prime. Logically, he should cost a lot more than his original fee, leaving few possible suitors.
Looking around at the biggest clubs on the planet, it’s easy to start eliminating teams from contention.
FC Barcelona already have plenty of midfield talent, and won’t have any money left over if they manage to sign both Antoine Griezmann and Neymar.
There have been rumours of a return 'home' to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, but they’ve already had issues with Financial Fair Play in the past, and there’s no way they could get Pogba without breaking more rules. He won’t go to another Premier League side, and Bayern Munich have never really been interested in him.
That leaves two clubs left, but both have problems of their own.
The club most consistently linked with Pogba has been Juventus, which is a deal that makes sense on paper. It would be a homecoming for the player, and he would, of course, be a crucial piece of the Italian powerhouses chase for Champions League glory. However, it’s not a deal that can happen as easily in reality.
Juve almost broke the bank to sign Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, and they’ll probably have to do it again if they are to sign Dutch starlet Matthijs De Ligt. They’ve already got plenty of talent and depth in the midfield as well, as Miralem Pjanic has become one of the best in the world while being surrounded by the likes of Rodrigo Bentacuar, Blaise Matuidi, and Sami Khedira. With Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot joining the club as well, it becomes increasingly unlikely to expect Juventus to pay the fee needed to get Pogba.
Real Madrid have been after him since he was back at Juventus, and many see the Spanish side as his dream club. With Zinedine Zidane back as head coach, Pogba would also get the chance to play for one of his footballing idols. Luckily for United, Financial Fair Play prevents this move from becoming much of a genuine possibility.
After having a woeful season last time out, the Spanish giants have not been reluctant to spend a lot to fix their team. They’ve already spent £200million this summer, bringing in Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, and Ferland Mendy, among others, to the Santiago Bernabeu. They’ve sold others in the squad to make some money back, but there’s no way they’ll be able to match the price set for Pogba by United without potentially adding a player of their own to the deal.
One last go
If anything, United will desperately want to see just how well Pogba can do with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer having a full pre-season with the team. The Frenchman played a big part in forcing former boss Jose Mourinho out of the club, and he flourished early under Solskjaer. It didn’t work as well at the end of the campaign, but there’s plenty of reason to hope the Norwegian can get the best out of Pogba once again. If that does happen, and there’s a proper squad built around him, United could find themselves back near the top of the table where they feel they belong. That simply cannot happen if Pogba is allowed to leave, and thankfully for United fans, that does not seem to be happening anytime soon.