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Report: Real Madrid beating United in £84M Pogba chase

Charles Platiau / Reuters

To see a list of completed deals in the summer window thus far, visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker.

Paul Pogba will return to Manchester United - but only if a £84-million (€100-million) transfer to his first choice, Real Madrid, falls through, reports The Guardian's Jamie Jackson.

United still hopes to win the race for the Juventus midfielder by outbidding its rivals and through Jose Mourinho's relationship with agent Mino Raiola, according to Jackson. Raiola represents Red Devils newcomer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the incoming Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

But the Spanish capital is reportedly Pogba's preferred destination, so the United hierarchy has to persuade the 23-year-old that a move to the club he left in 2012 would be most beneficial to his career.

United is also hoping Raiola will echo these sentiments to Pogba, since he's believed to think Old Trafford would be the best option for his client. That's despite Raiola's testy relationship with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, which ultimately resulted in Pogba leaving for Juventus at the end of his contract.

"I distrusted (Raiola) from the moment I met him," Ferguson wrote in his book "Leading." "We had Paul under a three-year contract, and it had a one-year renewal option which we were eager to sign. But Raiola suddenly appeared on the scene and our first meeting was a fiasco.

"He and I were like oil and water. From then on, our goose was cooked because Raiola had been able to ingratiate himself with Paul and his family and the player signed with Juventus."

Both United and Los Blancos are apparently prepared to meet Pogba's demands of a €300,000 (£250,000) weekly salary in a deal which could highlight a busy summer of transfers. Formerly linked sides, like Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain, have pulled out the running for Pogba due to the enormity of the fee and wage demands.

Related - Report: United in Pogba talks for record-breaking transfer fee

In the coming days Mkhitaryan is expected to join from Borussia Dortmund for a fee in the region of £30 million. Defender Eric Bailly has already joined at a similar cost, while Ibrahimovic arrived on a free transfer after his PSG contract expired.

Mourinho arrived at his first day of work Monday, and will toe the touchline for the first time in a preseason friendly against Wigan Athletic on July 16.

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