Mourinho to ditch Pogba
media activity and concentrate on delivering the high-level performances they know he is capable of.
Mourinho is clear he has to win at least one major trophy next season – and he is targeting FOUR world stars to catapult United back among Europe’s elite – with Pogba as bait.
The top duo on his hit list are Bernabeu stars Raphael Varane and Tony Kroos as Mourinho looks to import quality into defence and midfield.
French centre-back Varane – rated at £70m by Madrid – has been on Mourinho’s radar since he left Real Madrid in 2013 after three seasons working with the elegant star.
German World Cup winner Kroos, 28, is also on Mourinho’s wish list with the United boss admiring his drive and intelligence on the pitch.
Now Pogba has come up short, Mourinho wants someone to run United’s midfield and Kroos fits the bill – despite Madrid slapping a near£100m valuation on the German.
Mourinho’s back-up plan would be PSG pair Marquinhos and Marco Verratti, with £45m Juventus left-back Alex Sandro eyed as a solution to United’s problems with Luke Shaw.
Real boss Zinedine Zidane likes fellow-Frenchman Pogba but Madrid would prefer to take David De Gea from United.
Pogba and PSG would be a natural fit though – and Mourinho is banking on that prospect to encourage the French side to be open for a double deal for Verratti and Marquinhos.