Respected football journalist Graham Hunter has claimed on talkSPORT that Chelsea and Barcelona are leading Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City in the race to sign Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
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This is especially surprising when considering that the Catalan club are unable to register any new players until January. Were they to sign the 22-year-old this summer, the La Liga giants would have to immediately loan him back to Turin for a season according to Hunter.
The journalist said: “The leading clubs, we are told from the people that run this player, are Chelsea and Barcelona. They have made the running, he is interested. [But] Barcelona would have to buy him and loan him back to Juventus for a season, which is a huge risk.”
Even though they are leading the way at the moment, both clubs are still likely to face stern competition for the midfielder. The Red Devils are especially likely to put a big effort in to signing the France international, having let him go on a free back in 2012.
Allowing Pogba to leave for nothing could be one of legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s biggest mistakes during his tenure at the helm. The youngster has since gone on to score 23 goals in 122 appearances for the Old Lady, making the United hierarchy think again on the wisdom of that decision.