Where Next for Paul Pogba & Who Needs Him Most Around Europe?

Just over 24 hours before Manchester United’s crucial Champions League game against Leipzig, in a testing week that also sees United face Manchester City at Old Trafford, Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has cast more doubt on the Frenchman’s future at the Red Devils.

In an interview for Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport, Raiola stated: “I can say it’s over for Paul Pogba at Manchester United”.

This was awful timing for the club, but it was hardly surprising, as it is well known that Raiola is known for controversial attention-seeking antics, as prior to the Manchester derby in April 2018, just before kick-off, City manager Pep Guardiola revealed that the super-agent had offered Pogba to United’s bitter City rivals.

When speaking to Tuttosport, Raiola further added fuel to the fire by saying “Maybe Juventus could be Pogba's next club... why not? The relationship between Paul, Juventus and former teammates is excellent”. Pogba to return back to Juventus in the January transfer window is priced at 6/1.

Pogba re-joined the Reds in the summer of 2016 from Juventus for a world-record fee of £89m having left Old Trafford initially in the summer of 2012 on a free transfer, which left ill feelings between legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Raiola. Whilst at Juventus, Pogba developed into one of the hottest properties in world football, following a trophy-laden spell for the club under the management of managers such as Antonio Conte and Massimo Allegri, which saw the club win four Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia’s and two Supercoppa Italiana’s. Notably, it was the Italian giant’s midfield that stood out the most, as a narrow midfield four consisting of Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba dominated the Serie A.

However, since the arrival of Pogba back to United, the Frenchman has flattered to deceive at times with very inconsistent performances, with Jose Mourinho labelling the midfielder as a “virus” just before he was sacked following a 3-1 defeat at Anfield in December 2018.

Pogba’s best year trophy wise at the club was ironically under the current Tottenham manager where United triumphed in the League Cup and Europa League in 2016/17, but stats-wise, it was in the 2018/19 season which saw United switch from Mourinho to current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer; the Frenchman managed to record 13 goals and nine assists in the league, with 10 goals and six assists coming in the second half of the season under the latter’s reign.

Following the 2018/19 campaign, Pogba said that it was maybe best for him to have a new challenge when doing a tour of Asia with his personal sponsors Adidas, prompting a lot of discontent from United fans and the France international has flirted with the prospects of joining Real Madrid ever since. Since that summer, the 27-year-old has spent a lot of time on the sidelines injured, having played just 24 times in the Premier League, scoring two goals, doing so against Aston Villa at the end of the 2019/20 season and most recently against West Ham United last weekend.

Following his agents most recent comments, it looks like it could be the end of the road for Pogba at United in January and there are a few clubs that will be looking to line a move up for the 27-year-old. The favourites to sign the World Cup winner are Real Madrid at 4/1, due to Pogba persistently flirting with the Spanish giants.

When asked in a recent international break, France manager Didier Deschamps said that the midfielder can’t be happy at Old Trafford, whilst Pogba said “why not” when asked if he would like to join the Spanish champions, further fuelling speculation.

A return to Juventus as mentioned above is priced at 6/1 due to the relationship that Pogba has with his former club, as well as the fact that his former team-mate Pirlo is now manager at the Juventus Stadium, but, this move is more likely to be on the cards in the summer, as rumours keep on circulating that Juve are trying to offload high wage earners.

Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi were the first two Juventus stars to be pushed out, both having their contracts terminated to join Inter Miami in the MLS.

Many people believe that a shock swap deal for Cristiano Ronaldo could be on the cards, with the former club legend investing in property around the Manchester Piccadilly area.

United’s Champions League group rivals PSG are a potential threat to both Real and Juve in the race for Pogba, as a return to his homeland is priced at 8/1.

The French champions are never short for cash, as they proved with the transfers of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in 2017, spending €170m and €198m on each of them, showing that they are a club that likes to purchase ready-made world-class players regardless of the fee involved.

Pogba started his youth career in France at Le Havre but has never played a game in Ligue 1, which may be his ambition one day and can’t be ruled out, especially not with PSG’s aspirations to win the Champions League.

Barcelona’s odds to sign Pogba in January are at a massive 33/1 due to the Spanish giants being cash-strapped in the current financial climate, as shown in the summer transfer window when they pulled out of a move for Lyon’s Memphis Depay.

It would be very naïve to rule Barca out, as alike PSG they are no strangers to high profile big money transfers, as the likes of Philippe Coutinho moved to the Nou Camp from Liverpool in January 2018 for a whopping £142m.

Ronald Koeman’s side currently lacks a lot of creativity and spark in midfield, as the likes of Frenkie de Jong has struggled to settle in alongside Sergio Busquets and Pogba could be just the catalyst that the Catalonian club need to get their midfield ticking.

As of now, Barcelona are running the risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League due to poor league form this season and it wouldn’t surprise to see them produce a major panic buy and invest in the Frenchman.