Manchester United signed Paul Pogba from Juventus for £89.3 million to turn them into Premier League contenders in 2016, but, five years later, landing the France midfielder is now the key to their title prospects.
Raising £50m or more by allowing Pogba to leave the club before his contract expires in June 2022 could be the difference between United's one or two priority signings - Jadon Sancho and Rafael Varane - or other goals ahead. Having the resources to grow Kieran Trippier, Eduardo Camavinga and Jules Conde.
Sources told ESPN that United's owners, the Glazer family, have given manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a £100m transfer fund for the summer window, but that figure would be topped by any money raised from the departure of players who have is not considered. Future at Old Trafford
There are many players that United will happily let go if they get the right offer. Jesse Lingard, Brandon Williams, Diogo Dalot, Alex Telles, Phil Jones, Andreas Pereira, Daniel James and potentially Anthony Martial could all leave United this summer if they receive an accepted offer to sign. United also have four senior goalkeepers after Tom Heaton's free transfer from Aston Villa, so Dean Henderson or David de Gea could also go on loan or permanently.
But Pogba is a potential game-changer for United as transfer fees are what the 28-year-old still commands in the transfer market.
As it stands, United have already spent £72.9m of their £100m fund by signing England winger Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. The club are still attempting to negotiate a fee with Real Madrid to sign Varane, for an unrealistic £60m for the centre-back with the Spanish club, who is entering the final year of his contract. But with Real needing to raise funds for their own reconstruction programme, the deal is likely to be in the region of £40m at some stage.
If United can agree on a fee of around £40m for the France defender, it would take their summer expenses more than £110m, so they will have to find a way to bring in more money to sign further.
Offloading fringe players will only mobilize so much, with Lingard most likely to bring in after his impressive loan spell at West Ham last season. If United can raise £20m with Lingard's exit, they can expect the likes of Williams, Dalot, Telles, Jones, Pereira and James to take their outgoing deals to the £50m mark. Martial will probably also bring in around £25 million, but there is no queuing for clubs to spend that kind of money to sign the inconsolable French forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
But while football director John Murtaugh and technical director Darren Fletcher have helped United focus more in terms of hiring this summer, with deals already in place for Sancho and Heaton, the reality is that the Glazers and outgoing executive vice president Ed. Woodward has the final say on the ins and outs.
Murtaugh and Fletcher have taken a lot of weight from Woodward by focusing the day-to-day challenges on the ins and outs of players, but transfer policy is set by the Glazers and Woodward is still the gatekeeper among recruits. employees and owners.
The message from above is clear: Trimming the squad to spend more on new signings beyond Heaton, Sancho and Varane must raise money. That's why Pogba's future has become so crucial to Solskjaer's hopes of building a title-winning team this summer.
Sources have told ESPN that the United hierarchy is less confident Pogba will sign a new contract before it expires in less than 12 months. In public, the message is that talks are underway on a new deal, but the reality is that United will let Paris Saint-Germain follow through on their effort to sign the player.
Pogba's exit would unquestionably see United losing one of the world's top midfielders, but he has rarely lived up to that bill since arriving from Juventus in a then-world record £89.3m transfer in August 2016 .
So the money that could arise from his exit, on top of the possibility of £50m raised by other outgoing transfers, would give Solskjaer another £90m-£100m to spend this summer and that amount to Trippier, Camvinga and can unlock the door of arrival. Counds.
United will also cut their salary bill by £300,000-a-week - £15.6m a year - if Pogba moves on and that savings could help pay the bulk of the salaries of two or three new signings.
Many other clubs are in the same position as they want to move on before bringing players in. Manchester City are assessing which players can help Harry Kane and Jack Grealish reach the top goal, while Real Madrid and Barcelona are also working hard. Business decisions that usually only bother small clubs.
United's main issue is finding clubs that will take their fringe players and Pogba. PSG are the only team that has a definite interest in Pogba, although he could still be used as part of a swap deal for Varane if Real United continue to wait.
For the rest of the players that Solskjaer is ready to go, it could be a matter of waiting until the last days of the transfer window next month before deals are struck. Whether United can wait that long is another matter, but the approval of Pogba's exit in the coming weeks could be a move that makes a huge difference for Solskjaer and the title to Old Trafford next season, Or there is a possibility of him giving away a trophy.
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