Report: Juventus contact United about Pogba availability
Juventus have reached out to Manchester United to see if the Premier League side is willing to sell French midfielder Paul Pogba this summer, according to the Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian club has made United aware of its interest in reacquiring Pogba, who played four years in Turin until returning to Old Trafford in 2016. Juventus could reportedly try to include a player in a possible deal since they are not positioned to pay the £93.2-million fee that the Red Devils are expected to demand.
It's understood Juve are open to including Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro, or Douglas Costa in addition to cash in a transfer for the 26-year-old Pogba. Last summer's €100-million investment in Cristiano Ronaldo means the Italian champions must offload players in order to complete new signings, notes Romano.
Previous reports have suggested United would be willing to sell Pogba if they were to receive a bid in the region of €130 million. Pogba returned to United from Juve three years ago for a transfer fee reportedly worth €105 million, a world-record sum at the time.
The notion of Pogba leaving United has periodically surfaced over the past year and picked up steam over the last two months. It was reported in April that Pogba was desperate to join Real Madrid after a season that saw him named to the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
News of Juve's renewed interest in Pogba follows their reported failure to convince Lazio to sell Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after submitting a €60-million offer. Lazio have placed a €90-million price tag on the Serbian international, who scored five goals and provided three assists in 31 Serie A appearances last season.
It's unclear when a possible deal would be completed if United are willing to part ways with Pogba; Juventus are without a manager after Massimiliano Allegri departed following his fifth consecutive league title win last month.
Current Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is considered the frontrunner for the vacancy and reportedly told the Premier League team he would like to return to Italy and join Juventus.