According to reports from The Daily Star, Chelsea and Manchester City hope to win the race for Barcelona and Real Madrid target Paul Pogba by offering the Juventus midfielder club-record contract offers.
The France international is the most sought-after central midfielder in world football ahead of the summer transfer window, having emerged as a goal-scoring enforcer comparable to Yaya Toure or Patrick Vieira during his four seasons as a vital cog in the Juve starting Xi – now on course to claim a fourth consecutive Serie A title with the Old Lady.
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Indeed, every major Premier League club has been linked with the 22-year-old at some point over the last few transfer windows, but recent reports suggest Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are England’s likeliest candidates to obtain Pogba’s signature in the summer – with Blues scouts reportedly present as Juve beat Inter Milan by penalties in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday night.
But Premier League interest is rivalled throughout Europe. Bayern Munich are understandable admirers of the £70million-rated midfielder whilst The Daily Star report flirtatious glances from La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. In fact, the Catalans are believed to have seen an €80million bid turned down last summer.
But according to The Daily Star, Chelsea and Manchester City have both come up with the same plan to beat the El Clasico duo – not to mention each other and Manchester United – to Pogba’s coveted services. They’re both prepared to offer the former Red Devils youngster £300k per week contracts, smashing club records as the best-paid player throughout their respective histories.
Their ability to do so relates to the £8billion TV deal coming into effect next season, which will see the Premier League’s 2016/17 champions take home a whopping £150million in prize money alone.