Real Madrid Transfers: Paul Pogba’s reported extension decision and what it means

Since Zinedine Zidane returned to Real Madrid in 2019, Los Blancos have been closely linked with Manchester United’s midfielder, Paul Pogba. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was on Zidane’s wishlist in the summer when Madrid signed Eden Hazard from Chelsea, but Manchester United were not interested in selling their marquee midfielder.

Fast forward a couple of seasons, the Red Devils now face the risk of losing Paul Pogba for a second time on a free transfer. In the past, Pogba left United as a youngster on a free transfer under Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure for Juventus in search of greener pastures.

According to ESPN, Real Madrid target Paul Pogba will not be renewing terms with Manchester United, and the club has accepted the player’s decision to leave as a free agent. Pogba who had signed in 2016 from Juventus for a world-record transfer fee worth 105 million euros will most likely leave Old Trafford without a transfer fee.

The club owners have the option of cashing in on Pogba in January, but they prefer keeping the player for another six months until the end of his contract rather than receiving a transfer fee for the player in the winter transfer window.

Paul Pogba’s decision to not continue at Manchester United is not surprising, to say the least. The club currently finds itself in deep troubled waters under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s management. The Norwegian’s future is on the line against Tottenham Hotspur after a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at home.

Given the Red Devils unstable condition, it makes sense that 28-year-old Paul Pogba prefers spending the prime years of his career at a more stable club with a winning project in place. At the moment, it’s a race between Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus.

Where does Real Madrid rank in the race to sign Paul Pogba next summer?

In the past, Paul Pogba has admitted that it’s his dream to one day play for Real Madrid. Los Blancos have a strong heritage of French players representing the club and Pogba too wanted to be a part of that culture.

One of the many reasons why Pogba wanted a move to the Spanish capital was because of Zinedine Zidane’s presence, a major influence on Pogba’s affinity towards the club. But since Ziziou’s departure, the French midfielder has not spoken much about his ambitions about representing Real Madrid at some point.

In fact, he’s spoken more about his former team Juventus and so has his agent, Mino Raiola.

"Mino Raiola to Rai Sport: “Paul Pogba is out of contract in June, so we’ll talk with Man Utd and we’ll see what happens. Juventus? Paul still loves Turin. There’s a chance that Pogba will return to Juventus, yes – but it also depends on Juventus plans”- Fabrizio Romano"

It looks like a closely contested race between Juventus and Real Madrid. Paris Saint-Germain don’t look like clear favourites to land the 28-year-old. At the Spanish capital, Pogba could be brought in to replace Luka Modric whose contract expires at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old continues to perform at a high level but it’s unlikely that he would get another extension due to his age. Modric’s performances this season have come in patches of good and bad form as he lacks consistency which is a normal phenomenon with age. It’s unrealistic to demand Modric to perform every match the way he would 2-3 seasons ago.

Paul Pogba could be the best replacement for Luka Modric as Nicolo Barella of Inter Milan (who is a fan favourite to replace Modric) is reportedly set to extend terms with Inter, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Since Barella will be extending terms with Inter, Real Madrid will look to expedite negotiations with Paul Pogba and Mino Raiola in the January transfer window. It would be a close race between Los Blancos and Juventus.

At Turin, Paul Pogba could become the face of the club’s new project post-Ronaldo era. That would be something that would excite Pogba as at Madrid he would be under the shadows of Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema, and most possibly Kylian Mbappe. It looks like a tough call at the moment and only time will tell what’s in store for Paul Pogba and his future.