MY ACCOUNT
Paul Pogba is seemingly closing in on a return to Juventus after the club’s CEO claimed talks are progressing “very, very well”.
Manchester United confirmed at the start of June that Pogba was set to leave at the end of his contract, with former club Juventus his likeliest next destination.
His United contract officially expired on Thursday, and although he has not already reached an agreement with another club, it would appear to be a formality.
Nevertheless, reports suggest Pogba will be paid significantly less than he was at United, with Juve said to be the only club taking an interest in him.
As such, Juve chief Maurizio Arrivabene seems confident a deal is likely, and the Frenchman will be considered a major signing from a “commercial” perspective.
“We are talking to him, things are evolving very, very well,” he told Tuttosport. “[The idea came about] in our meetings, when names are mentioned.
“It was like that with [Dusan] Vlahovic. You open the door, throw a name and everyone looks at you like you’re crazy. Then, little by little, the machine starts up and the operation is built.
“[The idea of] Pogba was born this way. His presence will also be fundamental from a commercial point of view, even if my dream is to have an Italian player who is internationally recognised, like a [Francesco] Totti, a [Alessandro] Del Piero, a [Gianluigi Buffon] Buffon.”
Arrivabene also expressed regret over last year’s departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United.
Ronaldo spent three years at Juve and has been tentatively linked with a move back to Turin – Arrivabene appeared to dismiss that idea, even if he believes the club needs experienced players to guide their more promising youngsters.
“He was not fully exploited because of COVID [the pandemic], but I am convinced that Juve goes beyond every player,” he said.
“125 years of history are not written by a single player; the team is more important than individuals, and here everyone has to respect the rules.
“It’s not a change of course, but we need points of reference. I saw the Ronaldo effect on our young players, now players like [Nicolo] Fagioli, [Matias] Soule and [Fabio] Miretti must have players to learn from.”
