Man Utd star Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola ‘opens talks with Juventus’ ahead of summer transfer
PAUL POGBA'S agent Mino Raiola has opened talks with Juventus ahead of a potential summer move, according to reports in France.
The France star, 27, has been pushing for a "new challenge" since last summer - with Real Madrid and Juventus both keen.
But Mino Raiola appears to prefer a move back to his former club for Pogba, with Le10Sport claiming he has kicked off talks with the Serie A giants.
Pogba enjoyed the best years of his career at Juventus between 2012 and 2016 having quit Old Trafford.
The 2018 World Cup winner rejoined Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world-record £89million.
But "Pogback" has proved fairly fruitless with the mercurial midfielder suffering a dip in form and a series of frustrating injuries.
This season, Pogba has been limited to just seven Premier League games.
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The Frenchman has a little over a year left on his current contract, although it can be extended, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Co won't want to lose him on a free transfer.
So they look likely to actively pursue a deal for Pogba, with Juventus willing to offer flop Adrien Rabiot in return, say some reports.
Rabiot joined Juventus on a free transfer just last summer but has struggled to force his way into Maurizio Sarri's star-studded midfield.
Man Utd have a host of big-name targets on their wishlist for the upcoming window, including £100m star Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, Kalidou Koulibaly, Saul Niguez and James Maddison to name a few.
Selling Pogba would go a long way to funding at least one of those signings.
Real Madrid had looked to be the leaders in the race to sign Pogba ever since last summer.
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But recent reports claim Los Blancos cannot afford his £290,000 a week wages - and have been left infuriated having already "arranged" a deal to sign Pogba before the coronavirus lockdown intervened.
Pulling out of the race has left Juventus as the front-runners, with Raiola said to be holding talks with the club with the Serie A and Premier League seasons set to start in mid-June.
The Premier League are hoping to restart on Friday June 12 - with Man Utd's trip to Tottenham tipped for the first TV slot - and Italian top-flight footballer getting underway a day later.