£178m is staggering cost of Pogba deal

reach the Champions League final in 2015 to become one of the best midfielders in Europe. United made Pogba their No.1 transfer target once Jose Mourinho agreed to succeed Louis van Gaal as manager at Old Trafford. Mourinho has been on a mission to make big signings as he begins the challenge of making United the most successful club in Europe. He has landed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan this summer but the arrival of Pogba will be the most important one of all. Mourinho wants to build his side around the Frenchman and his arrival is set to coincide with the shock exit of German World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Portuguese held talks with several members of his squad yesterday to tell them they would be leaving, with Schweinsteiger the most high-profile victim.

Mourinho wants to reduce his first-team squad to 24 and reckons Schweinsteiger is now surplus to requirements.

The German only joined United last summer from Bayern Munich in a £14m deal, but endured a miserable first season at Old Trafford.

He failed to make an impact due to injuries and poor form and United want to sell to get his £160,000-a-week wages off the salary bill.

Schweinsteiger is one of nine stars set to leave either permanently or on loan, with Adnan Januzaj, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Andreas Pereira, Will Keane, James Wilson, Paddy McNair, Tim Fosu-Mensah and Tyler Blackett also set to depart.