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POGBA MAY TEAM UP WITH RONALDO AT JUVENTUS IN JANUARY

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If the offer by Juventus is accepted, Paul Pogba may leave Manchester United and team up with another former United player, Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.

The Seria A sides have reportedly made a breakthrough in negotiations with the Premiership struggling side, Manchester United to bring midfielder Pogba back to the club in the January transfer window.

Daily Mail of UK, quoting Italian publication, Tuttosport, reports that an offer of 60million euros (£52million) plus Emre Can could be enough for United to ‘deal immediately’.

Tuttosport adds that Pogba is fed up at Old Trafford and would be delighted to return to the Serie A club for a second spell.

Pogba made a return to United’s first-team on Sunday in the 2-0 defeat by bottom of the league Watford after almost three months out with an ankle injury. 

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The France midfielder’s contract at United expires in 18 months, meaning the club might have to consider doing business and granting his departure sooner than later or risk losing him for a less substantial fee.

Pogba rejoined United from Juventus in August 2016 in what was then a world record transfer fee of £90m after four years in Italy. 

He won Serie A every season with the Italians and also lifted two Coppa Italia trophies. At United, Pogba has won the Europa League and the League Cup.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted last week that Pogba would not be leaving the club in the January window.

‘He’s not getting sold in January, no,’ Solskjaer said. ‘He’s training but he’s not been training with us for long. He’s training and that’s a step forward for us.

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‘Yeah, of course (I understand all the interest around him) because he’s a fantastic player, a charismatic personality and for us we’re happy that he’s here.

‘We know that we’ve got one of the best players in the world when he’s playing well, when he gets fit.’ 

But despite what Solskjaer has said, reports of unrest around Pogba refuse to subside. 

While recovering from his ankle injury, Pogba was filmed playing basketball in the United States in November. His return to the team was then delayed further when he fell ill after being given permission to attend his brother’s wedding in France.

Former Liverpool midfielder Can has been demoted to a bit-part role under Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri and was left out of their squad for the Champions League.

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The 25-year-old has only played seven times for Juventus so far this season. 

Following Sunday’s dreadful defeat by Watford, United are eighth in the Premier League and trail the top four by seven points.

They are next in action on Boxing Day when they take on Newcastle at Old Trafford. 

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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