Real Madrid chiefs make Pogba No1 transfer target and think Man Utd will have to sell £90m ace on cheap post-coronavirus
PRISING Paul Pogba away from Manchester United will be Real Madrid’s No1 summer transfer priority, according to reports.
Zinedine Zidane has long been a fan of his French compatriot.
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But despite Pogba’s desire to play at the Bernabeu, a deal up to this point has never been on the table.
According to , however, this could be the summer in which the 27-year-old finally completes his dream move.
The Red Devils are in a difficult bargaining position, despite Pogba being a star asset.
Their No6’s contract will have a year left to run come the summer.
And despite there being an option to trigger an extra year – club chiefs know that they risk frustrating Pogba by doing so, with the midfielder having no intention of staying.
Real Madrid believe that this, coupled with the difficult state of the market following the coronavirus pandemic, could see them bag Pogba for UNDER £90million.
His admiration for Zidane is believed to hold a lot of weight in his desire to go to Madrid – with a return to former club Juventus very much a back-up option according to the latest reports.
Pogba’s desperation to leave United could even see him turn to a Fifa contract loophole as a last resort.
Article 17 in the governing body’s rulebook states that players can buy out the remaining years of their contract after three seasons with a club.
The first three years of a contract are known as the “protected period” under Fifa law, after which a player can terminate the agreement for a fee.
This happened for the first time in 2006 when Hearts defender Andy Webster cited Article 17 to leave Hearts for Wigan.
L’Equipe estimate it to be around £50million with the Frenchman’s contract set to end in June 2021 – far less than a prospective transfer fee negotiated with United.
Pogba has only featured eight times for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, having struggled with persistent ankle problems throughout the campaign.