Barca chiefs in Italy for Pogba

Blaugrana directors Ariedo Braida and Alberto
Soler are in the peninsula on Wednesday for a
meeting with Juventus over the future of the
French superstar
Barcelona are set to formalise their interest in Paul
Pogba on Wednesday when directors Ariedo Braida
and Alberto Soler travel to Italy to meet Juventus
director general Giuseppe Marotta.
The Frenchman is the most sought-after player in
this summer’s transfer market – with Real Madrid,
Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City
also interested in the 22-year-old.
Pogba has now emerged as Barcelona’s primary
transfer target, despite the club being banned from
signing players until January 2016.
With the Camp Nou presidential elections taking
place in just over two weeks, all the candidates –
including current incumbent Josep Maria Bartomeu
and former chief Joan Laporta – want to buy
Pogba.
On Wednesday, Braida and Soler are set to inform
Marotta of their intention to sign Pogba for the
start of the 2016-17 season, thus allowing him to
remain in Turin for one more campaign. The plan
is to reach an agreement with Juve before the July
18 elections.
Juventus are unwilling to listen to any offers below
€80m - a figure Barca are prepared to begin the
bidding with - and are very unlikely to sell this
summer following the sale of Carlos Tevez and
imminent departure of Andrea Pirlo.
However, the Bianconeri are more open to the
possibility of a big sale next summer which could
work in Barcelona’s favour given their transfer ban.
Goal understands that Manchester City are
prepared to break the world record in order to sign
Pogba, while PSG have offered the star €12m a
season in order to return to his homeland.
However, the ex-Manchester United man regards
Barcelona as his favoured next destination and
only recently revealed that Lionel Messi would be
a “dream team-mate”.
Madrid’s own interest in Pogba has wavered
recently, with the club enduring a difficult
relationship with the player’s agent Mino Raiola.
This has put Barcelona firmly in the box seat
ahead of their talks with Juventus on Wednesday.