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Football

18th Jul 2016

Zinedine Zidane offers Manchester United hope in Paul Pogba pursuit

Still rumbling on...

Simon Lloyd

Sick of hearing about Paul Pogba? Yeah, us too, but seeing as you’re here now…

As we’re all more than well aware now, Pogba could be about to follow his lukewarm Euro 2016 by becoming the most expensive footballer to have ever graced this planet.

If you believe what you read, Manchester United are favourites to land the Juventus midfielder – with Real Madrid said to be put off by the Frenchman’s ludicrously high price.

But as recent summer transfer sagas have taught us, this doesn’t mean that United are guaranteed to get their man. On Monday morning, the Spanish press hinted that Madrid weren’t completely out of the race for the midfielder and were investigating ways to meet Juventus’ demands.

It’s thought that Pogba prefers the idea of playing under his fellow Frenchman Zinedine Zidane in the Spanish capital than returning to United – the club at which he spent most of his youth career.

But if Zidane’s recent comments are anything to go by, he’s quite happy with the squad he already has at his disposal.

“I am happy with the squad I have got and it’s difficult to improve on it,” he told the media at a press conference.

“Do I like Pogba? Of course, he’s a very good player and every club wants the best players, but right now he’s at Juve and we have a large squad already.

“There are still lots of players yet to join up with the squad and with the Euros going on we couldn’t do anything.

“We have three games coming up and that’s the focus at the moment.”

So – Pogba to United it is then. Right? Right?

Oh come on, since when has the *manager* of Real Madrid ever made decisions on transfers?

Just look at the Martin Odegaard tale that Carlo Ancelotti shared in his book.

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