Pogba rejected Barcelona, Real Madrid interest in favour of United

Paul Pogba admits Barcelona and Real Madrid were in pursuit of his signature last summer.

Instead, the former Juventus midfielder opted for a return to Manchester United, sacrificing a chance to play Champions League football in favour of an opportunity to achieve his personal goals and help the club.

"I came here because I have targets, it's a big challenge for me," Pogba told SFR Sport, as translated by Samuel Marsden of ESPN FC. "I could have also gone to Real Madrid or Barcelona, they were interested. I chose to return, because I had that in my heart. It was my feeling that brought me here.

"I want to win with Manchester United, I've never won with them. I had always said that I would return - I didn't know when - because it's a club that I like a lot.

"I hadn't finished, I left because I wanted to play. I hadn't done what I had wanted to do here. I want United to become the great United again. That's my challenge here."

After months of speculation, Pogba completed his move back to United when Juve - which he joined in 2012 - accepted a world-record transfer reportedly worth €105 million.

Following the 2015 summer transfer window, when it appeared a move to Barcelona was in the works before the club's presidential election allegedly ended the Catalan giant's pursuit, Real Madrid emerged as a likely destination when Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, claimed last summer that manager Zinedine Zidane was eager to sign the 23-year-old.

With Pogba in the fold, Manchester United - who also signed the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Eric Bailly last summer - sit eight points above the mark last year's team accumulated after 21 matches.

The French international has recorded four goals and three assists in 20 Premier League appearances.