Transfer Centre

Barcelona chief Josep Maria Bartomeu coy on Paul Pogba rumours

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 01 October 2018

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu refuses to rule out a January move for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, but suggests that he may not be for sale.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has suggested that Manchester United would not be willing to sell Paul Pogba in January.

The disgruntled midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from the club following a further breakdown in his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho, who last week stripped him of the vice-captaincy.

Reports have suggested that Pogba is ready to declare himself unwilling to play for Mourinho should matters get any worse, and while Bartomeu refused to rule out the possibility of a move for the World Cup winner, he suggested that rumours of an impending exit could be wide of the mark.

"I read these rumours - not just Pogba but a lot of players. Most of the teams don't want to sell their players. They want to grow," Bartomeu told The Times.

"When you hear from agents that a certain player is on the market - and I am not saying that about this player, but generally - I will sometimes call the CEO and say 'Is it true you want to sell this player?'. Usually they say 'No way, not for sale' and that's the end of it."

United are understood to want more than £200m for Pogba, whereas Barcelona are thought to be unwilling to break the £100m barrier.