Paul Pogba has been wanting a move to La Liga and play for either Barcelona or Real Madrid in the last two years. His wish might just come true soon as Manchester United is said to be on the hunt for two central midfielders, and to set things in motion the club is reportedly planning to sell the Frenchman.
For now, though, the official word from United is that the World Cup winner is not on the trading block, but the latest indications from team boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemed to suggest he is heading in a different direction.
"The fact they have prioritized signing two central midfielders and a striker over the next two transfer windows - most likely in the summer - indicates United are preparing for that eventuality," The Daily Mail reported.
Speculations are rife that in preparation for the exit of Pogba, who could also rejoin his old team Juventus, the Red Devils are already negotiating with the camps of hiring candidates, named in the report as Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid, Erling Braut Haaland of Red Bull Salzburg, and Donny Van De Beek, who currently is part of Ajax.
Pogba's contract at Old Trafford will not expire until and United has the option to extend for another 12 months. It appeared, however, that the Red Devils are ready to move forward without the striker as betrayed in the hiring plan prepared by Solskjaer.
In addition, the club has made adjustments during Pogba's absence in the past two months, and as a result, midfielders, Scott McTominay and Fred have flourished in new gameplay that is faster and more fluid.
It is doubtful that Pogba's style of play will still fit into the system instituted by Solskjaer, so it makes sense that United is making preparations to continue operating without him.
In a business sense, the move to sell the French striker is a boost for United. For one, the club will be able to recover the amount paid for Pogba's transfer from Juventus and even realize earnings from the planned sale, the Mirror reported.
United paid £89 million when the club acquired the Frenchman in 2018. Getting back this amount will give Solskjaer more spending space to attract the talents that he deemed will help in the rebuilding of a younger and faster Red Devils squad.
It is estimated that for United to secure the hiring of Niguez, Haaland, and Van De Beek, the English will need to prepare no less than £150 million to fund the shopping spree.
Pogba is getting a weekly pay of £290,000 per week, and his exit will free up this amount from United's expense, which can be listed as another upside of the striker's sale.
