RIVAL KLOPP IS SOLSKJAER ON
United to dig deep to keep Pogba but eye replacements Jurgen: He
MANCHESTER UNITED will open talks with Paul Pogba about a new £400,000-a-week contract this month – as they step up their bid to prevent the £89million Frenchman walking away for nothing.
United want the midfielder’s future decided before he reports for duty with the world champions at the start of June to prepare for the European Championships.
The Reds are willing to make Pogba,
28, the club’s highest-paid player to keep him at Old Trafford for four years.
But they are also prepared to sell their prized asset this summer if the demands of agent Mino Raiola become too prohibitive or he threatens to run down the final 12 months of Pogba’s current deal.
United are already looking at potential replacements and have drawn up a list that includes West
Ham’s Declan Rice, 22, Leicester’s
Wilfred Ndidi, 24, and Atletico
Madrid’s Saul Niguez, 26.
Pogba has spent the last three years flirting with Real Madrid but the Red
Devils would want to claw back £80m – and that would be too rich for the Spanish giants and his former club Juventus.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he is desperate to get a deal done.
The Norwegian said: “I had Paul when he was a reserve as well and he knows my feelings about him and that I want him to stay. I have always said that I enjoy managing him, I enjoy coaching him and also challenging him because he is a winner.
“He wants to be better and that’s why he listens. You can see he’s enjoying himself.”