POGBA DEAL PROBE
FIFA to open investigation into £89m United move
FIFA are set to probe Paul Pogba’s £89m world record move to Manchester United from Juventus.
But last night United insisted the club had done nothing wrong and that there was no case to answer with world football’s governing body.
Reports from France claim FIFA are to investigate the massive deal following revelations Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola will pocket more than £41m from last summer’s transfer.
FIFA want to know who was involved in the transfer and how much each person was paid.
Confirmation of the investigation came after French media reports insisted that FIFA had opened an inquiry.
FIFA have asked United to explain the fine detail of the Pogba transfer.
The investigation will focus on claims Raiola struck a deal with Juve for a 50 per cent slice of any future transfer over £40m – which could breach regulations over third-party ownership.
United have refused to discuss details of the contracts involved but insist the relevant documents were lodged with FIFA when the deal for the midfielder was completed.
A club spokesman said: “We don’t comment on contracts. But FIFA have
had the relevant documents since the transfer in August 2016.”
Raiola, who also represents United superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, pocketed an initial payment of almost £23m.
Reports claim he is still due almost £16.5m in future payments from United over a five-year period.
The astronomical figures United paid to land Pogba have been revealed in a book to be published in Germany this week.
They will be made public in ‘Football Leaks: The Dirty Business of Football’ which is based on research by two German journalists.
The figures appear to have prompted a rapid response from FIFA bosses, who are in Bahrain for a congress meeting.
Pogba earns a basic wage of £8.61m (£165,588 a week). He will also get an annual loyalty bonus in excess of £3.4m from next year.