Ligue 1 English

Paul Pogba in ‘brief’ talks with PSG’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi amid Man Utd exit links

Paul Pogba, soon to be a free agent enjoying his Bosman status at the end of the season, has apparently still not shown even a faint glimmer of real interest in extending his contract with Man United as things stand, despite recent rumors hinting at him showing faint ‘renewed’ interest after the confirmation of Ralf Rangnick being appointed as the Manchester club’s interim manager until the end of the season befroe being transitioned to a director of sport on a 2-year consultancy.

However, what could be of interest is that the French midfielder was alleged to have spoken recently  with PSG’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during a brief meeting in France, according to reports. Understandably, rumors have been circling regarding the World Cup winner’s future plans, with expectations growing that he is widely expected to leave the Red Devils ahead of next season after failing to agree a new contract at Old Trafford despite lengthy talks with the club’s hierarchy.

The 28-year-old’s camp has been locked in negotiations with United for some time but are yet to finalise a proposed extension to his current deal which essentially means that he will be able to strike a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January onwards.

Allegedly a number of potential suitors have been linked with a move for his services in recent weeks, with Real Madrid said to be among the interested parties. As a matter of fact his agent Mino Raiola has been mouthing loquaciously that many suitors are in fact ‘dreaming’ about Pogba.

However, realistically, the Spanish giants are reportedly worried that Pogba’s arrival would block the development paths of Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde.

As for PSG, who have also supposedly been alleged  to desire bringing the French midfielder back to his home country, a flurry of banners put up in the club’s grounds vehemently protesting against his possible joining the Parc des Princes club  revealed only not too long ago that the World Cup winner is clearly not as popular as he is thought to be at the Parisian club.

However, it is still a possibility that as Pogba could be tempted to join the Ligue 1 giants on a free transfer ahead of next season, or at the least ride on the back of the rumors circulating to bide his time to plan his next move. In view of that, he was reported to have recently met with PSG chief, Al-Khelaifi, at a hotel in Paris, with the pair supposedly enjoying a brief discussion before parting ways, according to The Athletic.

However, the report states that PSG sources have denied that Pogba’s chat with Al-Khelaifi has been pre-planned in relation to a possible future move, saying instead that it was a chance encounter they had but of course that  incident will do little to boost United’s fading hopes of keeping hold of their man.

It remains to be seen whether he will come around to the idea of an extended stay at Old Trafford following the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as the club’s interim manager.

Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, recently insisted that he has not been losing any sleep over United’s failure to agree a new deal with the midfielder as of yet.

“You would have to ask Manchester United about it,” Raiola told The Times when quizzed on his client’s situation last month.

“At this moment everything is calm. There is no update.”