According to reports from London24 this morning, Director General Giuseppe Marotta has revealed Juventus received four bids for in-demand midfielder Paul Pogba during the summer transfer window.
The former Manchester United youngster has emerged as one of the top talents in world football since swapping Old Trafford for the Old Lady in 2012, going on to win three consecutive Serie A titles and reach the 2015 Champions League final.
The France international’s unique blend of power, pace, technique and netting prowess has earned comparisons with the likes of Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure whilst attracting interest from all over Europe.
Indeed, no less than seven clubs were reportedly targeting the 22 year-old during one stage of the summer transfer window, including Premier League duo Chelsea and Manchester City, and Giuseppe Marotta has now confirmed at least four made official bids.
As quoted by London24, he said; “We received formal proposals from top clubs for Pogba, but we rejected them out of hand. This season we put more responsibility on his shoulders, so he has many more games to improve.”
So who are the four clubs in question? Well, PSG are believed to have held preliminary discussions over a potential contract in May, despite not actually agreeing a fee with Juve, whilst Barcelona allegedly saw an €80million bid rejected in July.
Chelsea, meanwhile, reportedly accelerated their interest in Pogba during the final week of the transfer window, following their abysmal start to the season, holding talks over a £70million deal that inevitably failed to materialise.
The fourth and final club is likely either Real Madrid or Manchester City. Manchester United and Bayern Munich are the only other teams in Europe with the financial firepower to sign Pogba, but the Red Devils moved for Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin instead, whilst Bayern secured a deal for former midfield partner Arturo Vidal.