Man Utd transfer news: Paul Pogba, Yerry Mina, Toby Alderweireld
Could Pogba leave Old Trafford for Barcelona before the transfer window closes?
With the new Premier League season kicking off on Friday Manchester United are still unsure whether they’ll have the services of Paul Pogba.
According to the Daily Star the Frenchman and his agent will have “crunch talks” today about the Old Trafford future of the World Cup-winning midfielder.
A £100m deal
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The Star reports that super-agent Mino Raiola will “tell United he can broker a £100m deal for Pogba with Barcelona”, which would earn the Red Devils a tidy £11m profit on the £89m they paid Juventus two years ago.
The paper adds that Pogba’s future is in doubt because “his relationship with United boss Jose Mourinho has clearly deteriorated”, and if the pair can’t settle their differences before the transfer window closes on Thursday then the player may part company with United.
Worryingly for United, who slumped to a 1-0 defeat on Sunday against Bayern Munich in their last pre-season loosener, the Manchester Evening News reports that Barca boss Ernesto Valverde “refused to rule out a move” for Pogba when quizzed by Spanish journalists.
“Paul Pogba is obviously a great player, but we respect those who are at other clubs,” Valverde said. “I do not really have any comments to make on the rumours that are circulating around - they are just rumours.”
Panic mode
The Star says United could look to make Barcelona centre-half Yerry Mina part of any deal with the Spanish giants for Pogba, but The Sun begs to differ. It claims that Mourinho is “in panic mode after the £35m deal for Yerry Mina collapses”.
Having failed to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City, the Special One turned his attention to the Colombian defender. But apparently the deal has collapsed after Mina’s agent, Felipe Russo, angered United officials “by asking for more and different payments”.
The Old Trafford board weren’t having that and consequently the deal fell through on Friday with the two parties unwilling to budge from their positions. The Daily Mirror claims that Everton have seized on the failure and are set to sign Mina for £28.5m.
Cut-price fee
So, says the Mirror, Mourinho has stepped up efforts to sign Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld. The two have been linked for a while and the United boss wants to land the Belgian centre-back before the week is out.
The paper claims that the Old Trafford outfit “are closing in on a £60m deal for Alderweireld” after the Londoners signalled they would be willing to lower their £75m asking price.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is aware that Alderweireld is prepared to run down his contract and leave for “a cut-price fee” next year so he’s now accepted that it would make more sense to allow the 29-year-old to leave this week in exchange for a hefty transfer fee.
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