Real Madrid interest in superstar ‘has cooled down’
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane favors Paul Pogba, but it’s looking more and more like the Manchester United star will be the one who got away.
In the summer 2019 transfer window, Real Madrid spent about 300 million euros on new signings. Most of those players were ascending talents, such as FC Porto’s Eder Militao and Lyon’s Ferland Mendy, but the club did sign one true superstar player in Eden Hazard.
This past summer, Los Blancos did not sign a single player on the transfer market, as they are aiming to save up for Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga in 2021. Those two young stars would be game-changing signings for Real Madrid.
But what about Paul Pogba?
Real were linked closely to Pogba in the summer 2019 window, though they ultimately balked at Manchester United’s asking price. Los Blancos knew Pogba is a brilliant player, and there was surely a great deal of mutual interest between manager Zinedine Zidane and the French national team star. But it wasn’t going to happen.
Zinedine Zidane still has interest in bringing Paul Pogba to Real Madrid
According to Francesc Aguilar of Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid’s interest in Paul Pogba has “cooled down”. Aguilar notes, though, that Zidane still “loves” Pogba as a transfer target, which should come as little surprise to fans.
Pogba is entering his prime at 27 and could be cheaper in the summer 2021 transfer window if he is available. But since there are younger midfield options like Camavinga and Lyon’s Houssem Aouar who could be similarly priced, Florentino Perez likely does not favor Pogba nearly as much. At this point, he is prioritizing young stars for the “Revolution”. And surely, Zidane feels the same way about the necessary direction of the club, even if he loves what Pogba can offer.
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The door on Pogba should not be slammed shut, and “has cooled down” implies that there is still interest. But the phrase also makes it quite clear that Pogba is not a priority for Real Madrid next summer. In the face of the other options and when considering the amount of money necessary to sign Mbappe both in terms of transfer fee and wages, that view makes absolute sense.