Paul Pogba is set for an uncertain summer according to speculation, with Juventus likely to have their resolve tested by a string of European powerhouses.
Touted as being a target for Pep Guardiola’s grand plans for Manchester City next season, as reported by The Guardian, the Spaniard isn’t the only tactician that would be keen on landing the French international.
Such has been his rise and development since leaving Manchester United in 2012, the 23-year-old is already widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world.
Although he struggled earlier this season under the weight of new responsibility that came with being handed the No.10 shirt in Turin as well as the departures of Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez, he has turned things around since and has proven why he is not only so special, but so important to the Bianconeri.
It is crucial to firstly state that it would be a real blow for the Turin giants to lose him, and any club that is lucky enough to acquire him will immediately bolster their own midfield and become a much better side for it.
However, former Juve boss Marcello Lippi has offered a unique and legitimate argument as to why the Italian outfit should consider selling their most prized asset this summer.
“I remember when I went back to Juve [after a spell coaching Inter Milan] and [president Gianni] Agnelli told me that he was going to sell [Zinedine] Zidane,” Lippi said to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I didn’t agree with it to start with, but then I was reassured that the money we earned would be a lot and, above all, that it would be reinvested. Indeed, we succeeded in building a winning team with it.”
After the French icon left for Real Madrid in 2001, Juve, now armed with the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved, went on to win their first Scudetto in four years before defending their crown the following year and reaching the Champions League final.
Now, much has changed in the 15 years that have since passed, and whether or not the players to replace Pogba are out there and, more importantly, available, will determine whether or not Juve see the logic behind Lippi’s strategy.
Should the club decide to sell Pogba this summer though, coach Massimiliano Allegri can expect a significant amount of money to be at his disposal to reinvest in the squad and improve in different areas.
Juve have already proven this year that they are capable of reinventing themselves as they sit top of the Serie A table with eight games remaining despite losing Pirlo, Tevez and Arturo Vidal last summer.
Pogba has played his part in that, but no player in world football is unsellable, and with ridiculous price-tags of €100m being thrown around last summer, as reported by The Guardian, then Lippi perhaps has a point despite how talented and influential the player in question is.