Amid the talks of Paul Pogba leaving Manchester United as early as this summer, it appears now that the Red Devils will see more of him for at least one more season. The club is said to be confident that the Frenchman, whose United contract will not expire until June 2021, will not head to the exit door anytime soon.
Pogba staying at Old Trafford seems unlikely following the recent hints from his agent, Mino Raiola, that a deal is being worked out for the 27-year-old to make the switch to Real Madrid by the end of June. However, there are signs that recently emerged which indicated the midfielder will still be on a United jersey for the next season.
ESPN reported: "Manchester United are optimistic Paul Pogba will remain at the club beyond the next transfer window."
It would seem that the side of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is highly doubtful that clubs interested in the attacker, plagued by injury in the ongoing campaign, are ready to spend big and meet the asking price attached to Pogba, the report added.
It is estimated that negotiation on Pogba can only start if the selling price of £120 million is met by a buying club. The figures have been largely adjusted since the World Cup winner was mostly sidelined in the season and appeared in only eight games.
While elite clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid might be interested to lure Pogba out of Old Trafford, the United board is said to be convinced that these sides will break the bank to get the Frenchman's signature.
Signing Pogba could lead to a purchase price of up to £180 million, that is if United will insist on the original asking price for the striker. Then the interested team will need to think about the player's weekly wage, which Metro said will not be lower than £300,000.
Easily, a year of having Pogba on the roster will translate to an annual salary of £14.4 million, which the report would prove stiff considering that football has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.
All football clubs across Europe are assumed to have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic and it seemed out of place for a team to fund an expensive acquisition such as Pogba's, the report added.
In any case, United's belief that Pogba will stick with the club appeared anchored too on the team's 12 straight wins before the season was suspended. It could be that Solskjaer's side has finally seen a turnaround and Pogba is looking to play alongside Bruno Fernandes with the hope of possibly winning a title.
