What's the rumour?
According to the Mirror, Barcelona are ready to spend £100m plus add-ons on Paul Pogba. It is well below the £200m transfer fee demanded by the Manchester United hierarchy for their star player.
Barcelona will also have to face competition from the likes of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain who are also keeping a close watch on the situation regarding Pogba's future at Old Trafford.
In case you didn't know...
There were lots of rumours regarding the future of Paul Pogba at Manchester United in the recently concluded summer transfer window. Barcelona were tipped to be the front-runners for the signature of the French midfielder.
Due to his frosty relationship with manager Jose Mourinho last season, Pogba wanted a move to the Nou Camp. Having reportedly agreed on personal terms and conditions with the Barcelona hierarchy, Pogba was made to stay at Old Trafford as Manchester United put their foot down and reportedly told Barcelona that their key player is not up for sale.
The heart of the matter
Despite his sour relationship with Jose Mourinho, Pogba decided to stay at the club in this season after a successful campaign in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
In the last weekend after the game against Wolves, Mourinho blamed Pogba for the draw and hence stripped him of the vice-captaincy. This reportedly angered Pogba who told Mourinho that he desires to leave the club in January.
Hence, after this incident, their relationship has gone beyond repairable and hence either one of them is expected to leave Old Trafford in January.
Barcelona, on the other hand, have decided to scout Pogba in every game and hence have doubled their efforts to land the player in January.
Rumour Rating: 4/10
The Mirror is not a very reliable source for transfer news. Further, it will be a momentous task to convince the Manchester United hierarchy to sell Pogba for £100m as they have reportedly demanded a price above £200m for him.
What's next?
The January transfer window is going to be an exciting affair as this negotiation is going to make headlines for sure. It will probably be up to Pogba to decide which club he wants to join in January.