Reports: Mourinho decides Pogba's future after stunning Barcelona bid

What's the story?

Jose Mourinho and Machester United have decided that Paul Pogba is going nowhere during this transfer window according to reports from the Irish Independent. The club's record signing was the subject of an extraordinary bid from Barcelona involving both Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes plus €50 million. However, United rejected the bid out of hand and are determined to keep the World Cup winner at Old Trafford this season.

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Speculation regarding Pogba's future at United has been rife throughout the summer with Juventus, Barcelona, and Real Madrid all interested in his services. The powerful midfielder who has been on extended holiday leave after a wonderful World Cup refused to cut short his holiday at the request of Jose Mourinho, adding momentum to the rumours that he may be on his way out of Old Trafford.

Reports of Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, jetting out to Manchester in hope of brokering a deal away from Old Trafford further intensified mutterings of his departure and encouraged Barcelona to scrape together a scrappy bid involving two fringe players and €50 million in an effort to test United's resolve and tempt Pogba to push for a move away from Old Trafford. However, United stood firm and told Barcelona they would not listen to any offers for their record signing.

The heart of the matter

While the relationship between Pogba and Mourinho has not been great of late, the Portuguese manager is determined to keep his star player at the club. Pogba is viewed as an essential part of United's future plans and while there are some tactical disagreements between the World Cup winner and his manager, Mourinho is standing firm on his decision not sell Pogba for any price.

Rumour Rating: 8/10

Mourinho's decision to keep Pogba at Old Trafford has been reported by Miguel Delaney of the Irish Independent. Delaney is famously in the know about all things to do with United and it seems extremely likely he gathered this information from a reliable source. While rumours will probably persist until the transfer window closes, it is doubtful that we will see the French midfielder move clubs this summer.

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What's Next?

Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, notoriously seeks to keep his players in the headlines for any reason. Last season, reports emerged from Pep Guardiola that he was offered Pogba by Raiola during the transfer window last season. These tactics are employed by the agent as publicity stunts and rarely amount to anything. Therefore, we are likely to see Pogba line-up for United once he has regained full fitness.