Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Paul Pogba from Juventus for a record transfer fee of £89m (€105m) plus add-ons. The France international signed a five-year contract that will see him stay at the Old Trafford club till 2021
The transfer fee eclipses the previous world record fee of £86m that Real Madrid paid Tottenham Hotspur for Gareth Bale in the summer of 2013. After weeks of negotiations and reports of the deal breaking down at one point, the 23-year-old midfielder finally put pen to paper after the club came to an agreement with the player and his agent Mino Raiola.
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Pogba himself was delighted on being back. Speaking to Manchester United’s official website, he said: “I am delighted to rejoin United. It has always been a club with a special place in my heart and I am really looking forward to working with José Mourinho.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Juventus and have some fantastic memories of a great club with players that I count as friends. But I feel the time is right to go back to Old Trafford. I always enjoyed playing in front of the fans and can’t wait to make my contribution to the team.
“This is the right club for me to achieve everything I hope to in the game.”
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho talked about building the club around their record signing: “Paul is one of the best players in the world and will be a key part of the United team I want to build here for the future.
“He is quick, strong, scores goals and reads the game better than many players much older than he is. At 23, he has the chance to make that position his own here over many years. He is young and will continue to improve; he has the chance to be at the heart of this club for the next decade and beyond.”
The Red Devils have had a busy summer transfer window and have attracted world class talents despite missing out on Champions League football this season. Ivory Coast defender Eric Bailly arrived for approximately £30m from Villarreal before they sealed the signing of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer. The club then followed it up by capturing Borussia Dortmund’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £26m.
Pogba returns to United after four years away
Pogba is the club’s fourth major signing made by the club this summer as new manager Jose Mourinho sets about bringing back the glory days to Old Trafford. The 20-time league champions last won the Premier League in 2013 – Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season – before three years of under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal saw the club finish in the top four only once.
Interestingly, it was Ferguson himself who allowed Pogba to leave in 2012 for free after his contract had expired. However, the Serie A club paid a fee of £800,000 as a compensation since Pogba was still 19 at the time. Clubs which have developed a player are entitled to get a training compensation fee if they leave the club before they turn 24 and if no transfer fee is involved.
Pogba was frustrated with limited opportunities under the Scottish manager and his agent Raiola had managed to get Juventus interested, much to Sir Alex’s displeasure. Now he returns to the club for a record fee but Mourinho is only happy to have the player in his side.
“He comes because he knows the club, knows the city, many of the players and wants to be an important part of the project,” Mourinho had said after United beat Leicester City 2-1 in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.
“What is expensive and not expensive in football? I don't know anymore. I just know he is a big player,” he concluded.
