Report: United to make £100M Pogba bid by Wednesday
To see a list of completed deals in the summer window thus far, visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker.
Manchester United is reportedly preparing an official offer for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba by Wednesday.
United executives, Pogba's agent Mino Raiola, and Juventus directors Giuseppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici will meet to discuss the deal, reports The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano and Marcus Christenson. United is apparently readying a bid of £100 million, £13 million of that comprised of performance-related add-ons.
The Old Lady reportedly wants a basic fee of £100 million (€119 million), however, with no add-ons written into Pogba's potential United return.
While Juventus could be tempted to part with the 23-year-old midfielder for the right price, the transfer would hinge on whether Pogba wants to rejoin the Red Devils. The Frenchman left under acrimonious circumstances in 2012, which then-manager Alex Ferguson suggests arose through the influence of Raiola.
"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."
Real Madrid was also in the Pogba chase but was apparently priced out of a move when the reported value of the transfer reached three figures. The wage demands would be lofty too, with United set to table a salary worth £250,000 a week.
Jose Mourinho succeeded Louis van Gaal at the Old Trafford helm this summer, and has since been trying to quickly make his mark on the squad. Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have joined so far, but the Pogba pursuit has been an enduring tale of the summer transfer window.
Pogba at times showed his brilliance on the international stage with France at Euro 2016, with Les Bleus losing the final on home soil against Portugal. It followed a club season in which Juventus claimed its fifth straight Serie A title, with its No. 10 bagging eight goals and 12 assists.
Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri recently fired a warning to any of his players eyeing a move elsewhere, suggesting any transfer likely represents a step down.
"I am calm about the English rumours," he said. "Anyone who has the opportunity to leave Juventus has to consider things very carefully, because right now Juve are among the top four European clubs."
Juventus is spending some of its preseason preparations in Australia, and starts its International Champions Cup commitments against the Melbourne Victory on July 23. Pogba isn't among those travelling, though, since he's resting after his European Championship work this summer.