Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is not giving
up on signing Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba this
summer, saying "anything can happen" before the
transfer deadline.
Manchester United appear best placed to sign
Pogba, 23, although sources close to Juventus
have told ESPN FC that the Italian champions will
not accept less than €120 million for the France
international and also want the Premier League
club to pay the €25m fee for agent Mino Raiola,
with the Old Trafford hierarchy reluctant to meet
those demands.
Ex-France star Zidane has spoken regularly, if
guardedly, through the summer on his admiration
for his compatriot, and Pogba himself has also
chosen his words carefully when asked if he
would prefer to return to former club United or
join the European champions.
Speaking at a news conference in Ohio ahead of
Madrid's first preseason outing this summer
against Paris Saint-Germain, Zidane was asked if
there was now any chance of Pogba moving to
the Bernabeu before the transfer deadline on Aug.
31.
"I don't know. At the moment we are here
working," he replied. "Until [Aug. 31] anything can
happen. He is not yet a Madrid player. We cannot
talk about what will happen."
Madrid appear unlikely to pay anything like the
€120m asking price unless they could first raise
funds by selling squad players such as James
Rodriguez or Alvaro Morata for significant sums.
Pressed as to whether this meant he had asked
club president Florentino Perez to sign Pogba, he
said: "Now is not the moment to talk about this.
"Everyone is interested in Pogba. He is a great
player and when you are at Madrid, you always
want the best. Now we must respect some things
-- he is a Juve player. Today I can say nothing."
Zidane added that it was difficult but not
impossible for a club in Madrid's position, having
won two of the last three Champions Leagues, to
sign players to keep improving.
"It is difficult to improve Madrid's squad. We won
[the Champions League] with this squad," he said.
"There are good players elsewhere too. You can
always improve things and it will always be like
that here. There are always players who can
improve the team."
Posted Africa News Sports
Chapisha Maoni