Paul Pogba is officially bound for England after Manchester United concluded negotiations for a $116.2 million deal with Juventus to secure its former midfielder. This concludes a three-year effort by Manchester United to return Paul Pogba to the fold.
Newsweek reports that Manchester United won over Real Madrid, which had also expressed interest in signing Paul Pogba. For a little while, Spain had seemed the next stop for Paul Pogba given the spending power that Real Madrid has.
Home. #POGBACK pic.twitter.com/N0irgKbuv5
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 8, 2016
Manchester United eventually won out and it was as much a win for the Premier League as it was a win over Read Madrid. However, more than Manchester United beefing up its lineup for the Premier League, the cost of the Paul Pogba deal had been the foremost topic of discussion.
https://t.co/FSL8cfTC8d pic.twitter.com/5EsPheSaye — Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) August 9, 2016
According to Newsweek, before Manchester United and Juventus came to this agreement, the most expensive transfer deal on record had been of Real Madrid for Gareth Bale in 2013. Manchester United and club manager Jose Mourinho received more than a few criticism over the $116.2 million tag price.
The criticisms stem from concerns that Manchester United sets a precedent by paying a vast amount to re-sign Paul Pogba. Without doubt, the amount of money involved in Paul Pogba returning to Manchester United affects the transfer market.
The Daily Mail reports that Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, for one, points to how the clubs have to follow the price bar determined by the highest bidder, which tend to be the English Clubs. However, Manchester United may have been willing to raise the transfer bar for Paul Pogba for two things: the midfielder's agent Mino Raiola and the three-year effort that the English club spent on following and eventually negotiating for the player.
According to Sky Sports, Manchester Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward first went into talks with Mino Raiola for a Paul Pogba return as far back as three years ago. Suffice it to say that Mino Raiola and Juventus gave Manchester United a good workout in negotiating for Paul Pogba.
